France and Saudi Arabia have signed a memorandum of understanding covering a €6bn ($6.99bn) Saudi investment in three theme parks to be built outside Paris.
The agreement was signed during a two-day visit to France by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler.
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According to France24, the three venues will be situated near Cergy-Pontoise, roughly 30km to the north-west of the French capital.
One is set to have a manga theme, a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, while details of the other two have not been released.
Qiddiya Investment Company, a unit of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, will lead the development.
The French presidency said the scheme is projected to generate about 22,000 direct jobs, exceeding the roughly 20,000 associated with Disneyland Paris.
Building work is anticipated to run over several years, with the parks opening in phases; a launch date has not been set.
In a translated version of his statement on X, French President Emmanuel Macron called the announcement “unprecedented” and said the venues would form a “new global destination”.
The government backed news outlet reported that a Macron adviser told journalists the scheme “stemmed from a discussion between the President of the Republic and the Crown Prince in December 2024” in Riyadh, during which the two found they shared an enthusiasm for manga, “and in particular Dragon Ball Z.”
A French presidential official quoted in the report said staging the visit in France “is an important signal and testifies to the depth and dynamism of the Franco-Saudi relationship.”
Separately, Saudi Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif said on Monday that French foreign direct investment stock in the kingdom reached SR63.9bn ($17bn) in 2024, more than double its 2021 level and enough to make France the kingdom’s fourth-largest source of FDI.
Bilateral trade between the two countries totalled SR44.2bn in 2025.
French investors currently hold 651 investment licences across 18 sectors in Saudi Arabia, reflecting the expanding footprint of French firms in the market.
The announcement also follows France’s move earlier this month to lower the ownership threshold that triggers government scrutiny of non-European investment in strategically significant listed firms, cutting it to 10%.
Under the revised rules, any purchase of a 10% stake or more in a listed French company in a sensitive sector will be subject to review, irrespective of where the firm’s shares are listed.
