NOVELTY - Conversion of coal to aromatic compounds involves: (A) coal liquefaction in presence of hydrogen; (B) separating effluent obtained into light hydrocarbons fraction; (C) hydrocracking light hydrocarbons fraction in presence of hydrogen in reactor with fixed-bed hydrocracking catalyst, where conversion at 200 degrees C is greater than 30 wt.%; (D) separating effluent into fraction containing naphtha and fraction heavier than naphtha; (E) catalytic reforming fraction containing naphtha to give hydrogen and reformate containing aromatic compounds; and (F) separating aromatic compounds from reformate.    USE - For conversion of coal to aromatic compounds (claimed), where aromatic compounds include benzene, toluene and xylenes (BTX), which are useful as building-block chemicals in petrochemistry, and for synthesis of resins, plasticizers and polyester fibers.    ADVANTAGE - The process allows for producing aromatic compounds from coal, optionally in co-processing with other feedstocks, particularly of the biomass type. The process involves at least one liquefaction step, followed by fixed-bed hydrocracking step to maximize production of precursors of light aromatics and catalytic reforming step. The process also makes it possible to obtain middle distillates. The production of aromatics is currently based essentially on petroleum origin. The method reduces dependence on raw materials of petroleum origin to manufacture aromatic compounds, by using non-petroleum source. It is found that coal liquefaction known in the prior art followed by fixed-bed hydrocracking step makes it possible to obtain, after separation, naphtha fraction that is particularly suitable on account of its chemical nature and its very small amount of impurities, for production of aromatic compounds by catalytic reforming. The naphtha leaving liquefaction and hydrocracking has very high content of naphthenes (50-90 wt.%) and at the same time has very low content of impurities (less than 0.5 ppm of sulfur and less than 0.5 ppm of nitrogen) so that it can be sent directly to catalytic reforming without any pretreatment. Its unique structure endows it with excellent reactivity with respect to aromatization reactions. The liquefaction step makes it possible to obtain, firstly, hydrocarbons that still have high content of impurities such as heteroelements of sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen as well as olefins and polyaromatics. Before sending light fraction (naphtha) of these hydrocarbons to catalytic reforming, it is thus necessary to carry out severe hydrocracking step. This hydrocracking step makes it possible to obtain, by cracking, large naphtha fraction and heavier hydrocarbon fractions (gas oil and vacuum gas oil), but also to remove, by deep hydrotreating, all impurities so as not to poison sensitive catalysts of subsequent catalytic reforming. Moreover, severity of hydrocracking step makes it possible to increase yield of naphtha fraction (at expense of middle distillates, gas oil essentially) and therefore finally increases yield of aromatics and of hydrogen produced during reforming. The liquefaction technology also allows coal conversion to be carried out in co-processing with other feedstocks. Coal can also be co-processed with hydrocarbon wastes and/or industrial polymers, organic wastes or household plastics, vegetable or animal oils and fats, tars and residues that cannot be upgraded or are difficult to upgrade resulting from gasification and/or Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of biomass, coal or petroleum residues, lignocellulosic biomass or constituent(s) of cellulosic biomass selected from cellulose, hemicellulose and/or lignin, algae, charcoal, oil from pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass or algae, pyrolytic lignin, products from hydrothermal conversion of lignocellulosic biomass or algae, and/or activated sludge from water treatment works.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - Process for conversion of coal to aromatic compounds involves:    (A) coal liquefaction step in the presence of hydrogen;    (B) step of separation of the effluent obtained at the end of step (A) into a light fraction of hydrocarbons containing compounds boiling at not greater than 500 degrees C and a residual fraction;    (C) hydrocracking step in the presence of hydrogen of at least a proportion of the light fraction of hydrocarbons obtained at the end of step (B) in at least one reactor containing a fixed-bed hydrocracking catalyst, where the conversion of the fraction at 200 degrees C in the hydrocracking step is greater than 30 wt.%;    (D) separation of the effluent obtained at the end of step (C) into at least a fraction containing naphtha and a fraction heavier than the naphtha fraction;    (E) catalytic reforming step of the fraction containing naphtha, giving hydrogen and a reformate containing aromatic compounds; and    (F) separation step of the aromatic compounds from the reformate.