Three years after the region’s reunification with Russia, Crimea is ready for an "economic boom," but Western sanctions against Russia are still in place, making any foreign investments to Crimea impossible, according to the newspaper.
"Currently, it is prohibited to invest and to sell or transfer technologies [to Crimea]. Any violation could result in legal sanctions, especially for European investors," French lawyer Pierre-Emmanuel Dupont told the newspaper.
However, despite sanctions, many Russian and European companies are already preparing a project for Crimea.
"Crimea is like Nice, but 50 years ago. The potential is enormous! Now, we should respect the letter of sanctions, but we should start considering what we can do as soon as the time is right," Jean-Pierre Thomas, a French businessman and former presidential envoy for Russia, said.
"Sanctions cannot prevent us from building strong political ties," said Edoardo Rixi, economic development adviser from the French region of Liguria.
According to him, business partnership with Crimea, especially with Crimean ports, could be very promising for Liguria.
"We were not interested in Crimea when it was part of Ukraine. But now Crimea is the gateway to the Russian market," Rixi said.
A number of French companies, including in tourism, cosmetics and urban development, are also interested in doing business in Crimea, a source told the newspaper.
In addition to sanctions, another problem is the current logistical isolation of Crimea, but it will be solved as soon as the Crimean bridge is built, Les Echos noted.
A bridge crossing the Kerch Strait to connect the Crimean peninsula with mainland Russia was proposed by the Russia government to be constructed by 2018-2020. It will include a four-lane highway as well as a double-track railroad. The length of the crossing will be about 19 kilometers, the longest in Russia.
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