Veolia
In 1853, by imperial decree, the "Compagnie Générale des Eaux" (CGE) was created, which was engaged in the irrigation of fields and the supply of water to cities and villages (the first contract was the supply of Lyon, in 1860 the company received a concession for the supply of water in Paris). In 1867, a street cleaning company was founded in Nantes, and in 1870, another rag and paper collection company opened in Rouen and Chaun (both firms merged with CGE in 1980 and 1990, respectively). In 1875, the Compagnie Générale Française de Tramways (CGFT) was founded, which operated the tramways in Le Havre, Nancy and Marseille (it also merged with the CGE in 1980). In 1880, CGE entered the market of Venice, in 1882 - in Istanbul, in 1883 - in Porto, in 1884 - in Reims.