France contributes to the ITER project as a member of the European Union. In addition, as Host to the ITER project, it has undertaken a number of specific commitments. France has provided a site for the project and carried out all preparatory works including clearing and levelling, fencing, and networks for water and electricity. It has created an international school for the families of ITER employees, adapted the roads along the ITER Itinerary for the transport of ITER components, and contributed (with the European Domestic Agency) to building the ITER Headquarters. At the end of the ITER experimental phase, France will also have the responsibility for the dismantling and decommissioning of the site.

Local government has been strongly implicated in the ITER project from the start. The General Councils from the six départements closest to ITER (Hautes Alpes, Alpes de Haute Provence, Alpes Maritimes, Vaucluse, Var and Bouches du Rhône)—together with the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur Regional Council and the Communauté du Pays d'Aix—have contributed a total of EUR 467 million. This contribution is on par with the contracts and employment generated in the area by the ITER project; contracts totalling one billion euros have been attributed to French companies (60% locally).

Actions for ITER in France are coordinated through several administrative bodies. The ITER Industrial Committee seeks to optimize economic consequences for the region by fostering relations between ITER and local industry, particularly during the construction and assembly phases of the project. Scientific training toward a career in fusion is promoted through an association of ten universities and schools of engineering that now offer a Master's degree in "The Science of Fusion." The High Representative for the implementation of ITER in France coordinates the realization of the ITER project and ensures the representation of France to the ITER Members, the European Domestic Agency for ITER and the ITER Organization. And finally, from 2005-2010 the Mission ITER, now dissolved, was in charge of adapting regional infrastructure to the project's needs, including the ITER Itinerary public works and the construction of the new International School of Manosque.

Today the Regional Prefecture and the Regional Council share the responsibility for the elaboration of a longer-term strategic and economic development plan for the Val de Durance area near ITER.

Further information in French is available at the following links:

The Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, comprising six departments in the southeast corner of France, is at the crossroads of maritime and Alpine influences. Pleasant climate, rich historical vestiges, hilltop villages, world-renowned cuisine—all of these advantages contribute to making Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur one of the most-visited and most-loved regions of France. The Welcome Office at Agence ITER France provides a full range of relocation services for ITER employees who are new to the area.