On the occasion of the 5th Franco-German Corporate Executives and Institutional Investors Forum organised by the Deutsches Aktieninstitut (DAI) and the Association Française des Entreprises Privées (AFEP), Valérie Baudson, Chief Executive Officer of Amundi, welcomed business leaders, financial institutions, politicians and European think tanks, at Amundi’s headquarters in Paris.
During this forum, Valérie Baudson, CEO of Amundi, delivered a strong message: Franco-German cooperation, supported by a dynamic European ecosystem, is the key to stimulating economic growth, strengthening strategic autonomy, and increasing the continent's competitiveness.
The Franco-German partnership is essential to strengthen Europe's strategic autonomy, which must mobilize more European private savings to finance its major priorities, notably the ecological transition, digital transformation, and defense.
Despite a high level of savings, a significant portion of this savings is invested outside Europe, which constitutes a strategic vulnerability.
To remedy this, it is essential to direct savings towards long-term investments in European companies while placing competitiveness at the heart of the regulatory framework.
The European political context is nevertheless favorable, with renewed momentum driven by the European Union and Member states such as Germany to increase investment and defense budgets.
Several initiatives have emerged, such as the launch of the "Finance Europe" label aimed at facilitating access to long-term savings products with more favorable tax treatment.
The Franco-German dialogue, embodied notably by Amundi and our partners, plays a driving role in this dynamic by offering innovative financial solutions adapted to the needs of the European market. However, to transform these opportunities into lasting success, strong structural reforms are necessary.
These must unlock the savings reservoir, facilitate the participation of retail investors in financial markets while improving their literacy, and above all strengthen the competitiveness of European companies.
Regulatory simplification and the completion of the single market are identified as essential levers to ease the constraints weighing on economic actors. Furthermore, support for European financial centers, notably Paris and Frankfurt, remains indispensable to establish European autonomy and support growth.
