France - Paris

Hamburg's connection to France - Paris

Relations between Hamburg and France are diverse and deeply rooted. They are based on a solid foundation of trade, investment and cultural exchange.

France is Hamburg's third most important international trading partner. The aviation industry is at the centre of this, as Hamburg is the largest German Airbus location with around 12,500 employees. France is also an attractive market in other economic sectors, particularly in the dynamic start-up scenes in Paris and Hamburg. Numerous co-operations between start-ups in both cities and the founding of the Franco-German network La Tech Hambourg are proof of the potential in this area.

In addition to close relations with Toulouse and the twin city of Marseille, the Hanseatic city also maintains a strategic partnership with Nantes. in 2025, a declaration of cooperation will be signed with Paris to further deepen the exchange on topics such as ecological change, mobility transition and urban planning.

HamburgAmbassador Katharina Scriba

Katharina Scriba lived, studied and worked in Hamburg for over ten years before moving from the Elbe to the Seine in 2009. She has represented Hamburg as HamburgAmbassador in Paris since 2018.

The communications and culture expert headed the arts and culture programme of the Goethe-Institut in Paris until 2021. In 2015, she received the Franco-German Friendship Prize, which is awarded by the German ambassador, for her outstanding commitment.

Since 2022, Katharina Scriba has been Director of the Fondation Fiminco, an internationally active art foundation in the heart of one of Europe's largest cultural districts. She is a valued member of juries and advisory boards and regularly takes part in international panel discussions.

Expertise for Hamburg

People in formal attire engaged in conversation at a social event in an ornate room. — HamburgAmbassador Katharina Scriba in conversation with Prashant Rao, HamburgAmbassador in India.

Even before her involvement as a HamburgAmbassador, Katharina Scriba was keen to present Hamburg as a creative and cultural metropolis in Paris. The cultural project "HeimatHafen Hamburg", which was presented throughout France in 2015, formed the starting point for her voluntary work.

As an internationally active cultural mediator, she brings with her many years of expertise and an extensive network in the Parisian cultural and creative scene. In the opening year of 2017, she oversaw the presentation of the Elbphilharmonie and initiated the first residency programme for female artists living in Hamburg in Paris with the Claussen Simon Foundation. In 2025, she also organised a delegation trip to Hamburg for 15 personalities from the Parisian art, culture and business world, who met with representatives of Hamburg's cultural and foundation landscape as part of a Franco-German networking lunch.

She is also involved in networking the Parisian and Hamburg start-up scene.