Brussels, 10/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - With the French Presidency of the EU in place, Fairvalue Corporate & Public Affairs consultants are seeking to find out the vision of Europe shared by French business leaders, and the expectations the French leaders have from these institutions. Fairvalue commissioned the opinion poll IPSOS to carry out a study among 600 leaders, whose main conclusions are as follows: 1) 9 out of French entrepreneurs have a poor knowledge or a very poor knowledge of European level support and negotiation mechanisms and opportunities; 2) only 5% of companies of more than 100 employees are directly represented in Brussels and 81% of leaders polled affirmed that they have never received EU support; 3) more than half of all leaders feel affected by the French presidency but 46% say that they expected nothing from it.
In its press release, Fairview explains that although the image French business leaders have of Europe and its institutions is very positive, it remains particularly vague and misunderstood from a strategic and developmental point of view. Due to the lack of knowledge about decision-making processes in Europe, and mixed feelings about the impact of decisions taken at a European level, French business leaders see the EU as a level for competitiveness that has not been used well.
This study will act as a basis for reflection carried out by the working group, led by Fairvalue, which consists of company bosses and representatives from DG Enterprise at the European Commission and the French national authorities. In autumn 2008, this working group will publish firm proposals, addressed to the French and European authorities, which will better accompany business development at the heart of the EU. The president of Fairvalue, Anne Mazoyer, stated that “this study reveals a real communication problem between European institutions and businesses when the EU now needs entrepreneurs, just as we need Europe to preserve and develop companies' economic competitiveness”. Ms Mazoyer also indicated that their consultancy had submitted this dossier to the French secretariat of state for European affairs and that Jean-Pierre Jouyet himself, considers that this dossier is one of the most constructive for companies, insofar as debates will be beginning under the French presidency and continue afterwards. The study is available at: (http://www.fairvaluecc.comm ). (G.B./trans/rh)