Three elected representatives of the French citizens established in the Middle East are members of the Assembly of the French citizens living abroad.

1) Mrs. Denise REVERS-HADDAD (AFE)
Address: c/o French Embassy in Beirut (Lebanon)
E-mail: d.revershaddad@assemblee-afe.fr
Telephone: 00-961-3-815-399

2) Mr. Marcel LAUGEL (AFE)
Address: c/o French Embassy in Beirut (Lebanon)
E-mail: m.laugel@assemblee-afe.fr
Telephone: 00-961-3-210-694

3) Mr. Jean-Louis MAINGUY (AFE)

Address: c/o French General Consulate in Beirut (Lebanon)

E-mail: j.mainguy@assemblee-afe.fr

• Groups

LA DETENTE

Contact: detente@go.com.jo

The A.D.U.I.F.
It is the association of the graduates of the universities and institutes of France, chaired by Doctor Sami SHARIF. It is interested in socio-cultural issues.

Contact: 562 2334

The A.M.J.
It is the Franco Jordanian medical group. The main purpose of this group is to develop partnership and exchange between French and Jordanian practitioners.

• Connections With France

French and French-speaking people residing in Jordan do not remain out of the life in France. Several institutions support the exchange of personal knowledge, the training, and the practice of the French language via the French Center of linguistic co-operation, the universities... and put forward the cultural diversity of the 51 French-speaking countries, thus creating economic bonds with the French-speaking people of the whole world.

1. Audio-visual Landscape

- Television

* The Jordanian television broadcasts French documentaries several times per week on the 1st channel.
(Terrestrial Hertzian transmission on the whole of the Jordanian territory). Jordan Movie Channel also broadcasts some French movies.

* TV5, the channel of the French speaking community, is available twenty-four hours a day on Nilesat (digital broadcasting) and on Arabsat (analog broadcasting) and broadcasts:
       - Sport: the French football league matches
       - Movies
       - News
       - Documentaries
       - Magazines
       - Debates

*ARTE the Franco-German cultural channel is available on the Eutelsat-Hotbird satellite. With the program of films, documentaries, news, concerts, operas, debates and magazines

*France 5 is available on the Eutel-Hotbird satellite and broadcasts educational programs making it possible to discover, learn and look further into various topics.

*MCM and Eurosport the French musical channel MCM and the French sports channel are available in the bouquets Al Awael and Firstnet of the ART group.

- Radio

*The Jordanian Radio FM 90 broadcasts news every hour as well as the latest French songs.

*RMC-Middle East and RFI are broadcast in Amman and its surroundings (97.4 FM) and in the north of Jordan (106.2 FM)

2. The French Cultural and Linguistic Cooperation Center

The French-speaking community gathers regularly at the French cultural and linguistic center. Exhibitions, conferences, French lessons, and films screenings take place in the centre throughout the year.

- The library:
The library of the center is a place where you can read books and magazines such as Première, Arabie, le Monde, L’Express. Members may borrow books.
This library is the only French library in Amman that is free and open to the public where you will find many books in French. There are more than 12,000 books in French available and also 100 in Arabic. You could also find many books about France, its history, its architecture…

- The video library:
The best of the best of French cinema. You may borrow more than 164 DVDs and 400 videotapes of French movies.

- The audio library
All the styles of music are available: Johnny Hallyday, Lara Fabian, Patrick Bruel, Edith Piaf… You may listen to all the old and new French songs.

The library is open to the public without any subscription. But if you wish to borrow books, tapes or DVDs, you will have to become a member and pay an annual subscription fee. There are three different formulas: 10 JD or 25 JD or 35 JD.

Working hours are from Saturday to Thursday between 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. and on Saturdays and Tuesdays from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

- Languages courses

    French Courses: The center accommodates each year more than one thousand students or private individuals eager to learn French or to improve their knowledge of this language.

    Arabic Courses: Adults and children wishing to learn "dialectal arabic" language to facilitate their social and professional integration in Jordan can attend lessons of dialect Arabic (all levels). These lessons take place throughout the year at a frequency of 4 hours per week during each quarterly session, and 10 hours per week during the intensive summer sessions.

- Cinema:
The French Cultural Centre, in collaboration with the Regional Audio-Visual Department of the French Embassy, the Royal Cultural Centre, the local exhibitors and the Shoman Foundation, organizes several festivals each year, such as the Franco-Arab Film Festival, in addition to the French annual contribution to the European Film Festival traditionally held in October.
Moreover the center has a video library and provides the screening of French films at the Grand Cinemas (Zara Center) on the 3rd Monday of each month.

3. Airlines

The airline companies AIR FRANCE and ROYAL JORDANIAN provide weekly frequently scheduled Amman-Paris-Amman flights. The duration of the flight is approximately 4 hours and a half. The price of an economy class ticket is about 465 to 589 JD (540 to 685 euros).

4. Telecommunications and postal services

The fixed and mobile telecommunication networks cover Jordan nationwide. Orange (Jordan telecom Group) is the main operator. There are three mobile phone operators: MobileCom, Umniah and Fastlink and one major Internet provider (including ADSL) Orange.
The Jordanian mail service is satisfactory. The delivery time for a letter will not be less than 10 to 12 days for a letter posted in Amman to an address in France.

• Publications In French

1) Lettre aux Français, the French embassy newsletter
2) La Gazette du Centre, the cultural and linguistic cooperation French center publication
3) A bras ouvert, The French school of Amman publication.
4) Bulletin du CAFRAJ, The Franco-Jordanian Business Club publication.
5) Les échos de Jordanie, Bulletin of the French commercial section.
6) Le Jourdain, French supplement of the Anglophone weekly newspaper, The Star.

• The French Schools of Amman And French-Speaking Institutions

- The French School of Amman is the only French school of the country registered by the French agency for education abroad (AEFE). The kindergarten, primary school and secondary school classes gather 306 students including 50% of French citizens and 17 nationalities are represented.

The rate of success to the French Baccalaureate in 2006 was 75%.

The schedules:
       -Nursery and primary school: from 8.00 am till 1.30 pm.
       -Secondary school: from 8.00 am till 1.55 pm.
The French school of Amman proposes lessons of the three following languages: Arabic, English, and Spanish.

The school has:

• A data-processing computerized network helping pupils to become familiar with Internet and all the new technologies
• A library with more than four thousand books (encyclopaedias, novels, magazines, newspapers...).

-The other schools: The French language has been an optional subject for the Jordanian A-level for four years. It can be considered as the third Jordanian language after Arabic and English. Since 1994, the pupils of the primary and secondary schools of 24 education authorities can learn French for three hours per week. There are French teachers in 87 private schools and in 67 public schools. At the political level, the official meeting between the French head of state and late King Hussein increased the interest for French language in Jordan and the result of this is the development of the teaching of French in Jordanian schools.

During the year 2004/2005, the number of pupils learning French increased. 45 800 pupils learn French in primary schools, secondary schools and universities. As from 2004, French language is a compulsory subject for all the pupils of the computer, literacy, and hotel courses wishing to pass their A-level.

As from 2004, three young French teachers will stay in Jordan and will assist the Jordanian French teachers.

The multimedia library, located at AYSHA school, received a collection of books and educational material from Hachette foundation in 2002. This institution represents the centre of French scholar culture, with a special access for public schools pupils. More than 2 000 books in addition to 17 computers provided with French software can be found there.

-Universities: Students of four public and seven private universities have the opportunity to learn French. Four of them, including the University of Yarmouk in Irbid and the University of Jordan in Amman have a department of French language.

Partnership with French Universities :

• In September 2003, the IUT de Cachan has signed a partnership with Al-Balqa Applied University and Al Hussein University College concerning the students and teachers exchange and the training of their professors.
• L’école d’Ingénieur de Lille, " l’ENIC " Ecole Nouvelle d’Informatique et de Communication (in the fileld of new computer and communication techniques) with Hijjawi Faculty at the University of Yarmouk.
• A partnership in the scientific field between the CHU de Compiègne (health sector) and the Hospital of Jordan University.
• Cooperation between the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris and Jordan University.
• Agreement between Paris Institute for Political Studies and Jordan Institute for Diplomacy, 1994.
• Partnership between the Groupe ESC Clermont-Ferrand (Grande Ecole of Business & Management) and Jordan University -since January 2005-, for the exchange of students.
• Agreement between the Ecole of Management of Grenoble and the Princess Sumaya University of Technology - December 2004 -. It aims at developing the relations of mutual cooperation in the fields of education, research, curriculum development,etc.
• Cooperation between ESCEM (Grande Ecole of Business & Management, Tours-Poitiers) and Jordan University -since January 2005-, in view of strengthening the cooperation and the development of projects as well as the exchange of students between both parties.
• Cooperation between the University of Montesquieu-Bordeaux IV and Jordan University, for the exchange of professors and to carry out joint research programs.
• Cooperation between the Ecole Nationale d'Architecture of Paris-La-Villette and Jordan University, to promote academic and international exchange.

• Other Institutions

The French institute of the Near East (IFPO) was created on the 1st of January 2003 after the merger of the former C.E.R.M.O.C. and the IFAPO. This French institute has offices in Beirut, Damascus and Amman.

IFPO is a centre for studies and research on the contemporary Middle East, specialized in social sciences. The scientific policy of this centre is directed by a council based in Paris gathering French and European lecturers, teachers and directors of research institute on the Middle East. The French institute houses a library and a documentation center with more than 5000 books in different languages specialized on Jordan, Palestine and Iraq.
The IFPO also has a branch for archaeological research.
Contact :
Mme. Hana JABER
Adresse: Jebel Amman
P. O. Box : 830413
Tel.: 962-6-461 1171 or 464 0515
Fax: 962-6-461 1170
e-mail : cermoc@nets.com.jo

M. Charles-Edouard BERTRAND
P. O. Box 5348 Jebel Amman
11183 Jordanie
Tel.: 962-6-461 1872/3
Fax: 962-6-464 3840
e-mail : ifapo-jor@nets.com.jo

• Some Important Details

- Exchange rate : 1 Jordanian dinar is divided into 100 fils.
1 US dollar = 0.71JD – (fixed rate)

It is very easy to withdraw cash in any bank in Amman. If you have a credit card, you can withdraw cash at any ATM.

The daily cost of living in Jordan increased appreciably over the past 5 years although the inflation does not reach 2-3% per annum.

- Life in Jordan

Health: The health and medical environment of Jordan is very satisfactory: hospitals and private clinics are as well equipped as those in France and medical care is of high quality.
NB: The tariffs of medical care are quite comparable to those in Europe. They are regulated by the Jordanian Ministry of Health.
Religion: A mass for the French speaking community is celebrated every Sunday at 5.30 pm by the Jordanian priest Issam ZOU'MOT periodically assisted by a French priest from Jerusalem. This mass takes place at the "Catholic Church of St. Mary of Nazareth" of Amman.

Contact: Tel. 592 0740
Address: Sweifieh –Amman 11183 Jordan.

• The Economic Department of the French Embassy

The Economic Department of the French Embassy in Jordan monitors the economic relations between France and Jordan. This department is part of the network of the External Economic Relations Department of the French Ministry of Economy and Finance. Mr. Christian SAILLARD is the head of the Economic Department of the French Embassy in Jordan, located in the area of Jebel Amman near the Embassy of France.

Contact:

Address: 18 Abu Firas Al Hamadani Street
P. O. Box: 5101 Amman 11183
Tel: +962 6 460 1049
Fax: +962 6 460 1600
E-mail: christian.saillard@missioneco.org

Web Site: www.missioneco.org/jordanie/

• French Companies Established In Jordan

France is the second European supplier of the Hashemite Kingdom after Germany and first foreign investor. French investments represented 900 million euros in the last few years. French companies invested in the key sectors of the Jordanian economy: Telecommunications (France Telecom holds 51% of the capital of Jordan Telecom Group), Tourism (Accor), cements (Groupe Lafarge), the water supply (LEMA), mineral waters (Perrier Vittel) and minerals (Potasses of Alsace), banks (Société Générale)…
French companies are interested in many other projects in particular in the sectors of electricity, postal services, airport, water... There are presently 148 companies, subsidiary companies, and franchised companies among which 33 are affiliated and members of the Franco Jordanian Business Club (CAFRAJ).

• Travelling In Jordan

- Entry Formatities

Departure from France to Jordan: the visa for entry to Jordan can be requested from the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in France.

80, boulevard Maurice Barrès
92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine
tél. : 01 55 62 00 00
Fax : 01 55 62 00 06

Visas are also delivered upon entry to the Jordanian territory and this for stays up to 1 month. If you wish to remain longer in Jordan, it will be necessary for you, before the expiration of your visa, to contact the nearest police station to extend your visa’s validity.

If you wish to reside in Jordan, it is necessary for you to send a justified request of residency permission to the Jordanian Ministry for Internal Affairs. It is advised to take along all documents explaining your work or your revenues in Jordan.

- Driving Licence

If you want to drive in Jordan with your French driving licence, you should first contact the Department of Traffic of the Jordanian police. You will have to provide your French driving licence and its certified translation. To obtain your Jordanian driving licence, you will have to pass a sight test and pay the necessary fees.

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