Second Franco-German Corporate Executives and Institutional Investors’ Forum

Considering current geopolitical and global economic developments, the presidents of Afep (Association française des entreprises privées) and Deutsches Aktieninstitut underline the crucial importance of the Franco-German cooperation on the occasion of the Second Franco-German Corporate Executives and Institutional Investors‘ Forum today in Hamburg.

The Franco-German Forum assembles high-ranked personalities from the executive level of corporates, financial institutions, the political stage and the leading European think tanks. It focuses on listed and capital market-oriented companies and aims at intensifying the Franco-German cooperation on capital market-related issues for the benefit of the European economy. This year’s forum is hosted by Airbus in Hamburg and dedicated to finding common answers and solutions to the political, societal and economic consequences arising from geopolitical as well as global economic developments.

„The crisis we are facing will test both French and German companies in a unique way like they have never been tested before. Germany and France need to team up and move even closer together in order to tackle the severe and unprecedented current and forthcoming challenges“,  says Laurent Burelle, President of Afep.

“A joint and close collaboration of the CAC and DAX companies under the auspices of Afep and Deutsches Aktieninstitut is a strong signal and can make a difference – for France, for Germany and for Europe. With today’s event we also reach out to our political leaders and offer our assistance to jointly make a change for the better”,adds Hans-Ulrich Engel, President of Deutsches Aktieninstitut.

Beyond the recent hazards arising from geopolitical changes, the issue of sustainability is addressed as climate change ultimately requires joint action and ideally global coordination in a variety of disciplines. Together with Sue Lloyd, Vice Chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), executive and non-executive directors from France and Germany will discuss the development of the ISSB’s International Sustainability Reporting Standards.  German and French companies are calling for a global alignment of the European and international standards. A close coordination between the ISSB and the European standard setter, the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG), is needed to achieve meaningful and comparable data at global level. Only this will effectively enable and promote the investments required to build a carbon-neutral, sustainable economy.