Can Europe Still Grow? L’ADN Looks Back at Conversations à venir

Europe has abundant savings, innovative businesses and a vast internal market. Yet many of its companies look elsewhere for the financing they need to grow. How can Europe equip itself to fulfil its ambitions?

This question was at the heart of Conversations à venir, organised by the Institut Louis Bachelier with the BNP Paribas Foundation on 5 October at the Collège de France. As a partner of the event, L’ADN explores these issues in its article “Can Europe Still Grow?”, published on 23 October 2026.

Enrico Letta: moving beyond national borders

For Enrico Letta, President of the Jacques Delors Institute and former Italian Prime Minister, Europe must complete its single market to strengthen its sovereignty. Energy, telecommunications and finance remain too fragmented across Member States, limiting companies’ ability to expand across Europe.

He advocates, in particular, a common legal framework—the “28th regime”—that would make it easier for businesses to operate in multiple EU countries. The aim is to reduce the administrative and regulatory complexity that holds back their growth. His message calls for collective ambition: national responses alone are no longer sufficient to address global economic and technological challenges.

Turning savings and innovation into growth

Alongside Enrico Letta, Marie Brière, CEO of the ILB, Alain Papiasse, Chairman of BNP Paribas CIB, and Fabrizio Pagani, Professor at Sciences Po and former Italian G20 Sherpa, discussed how to finance this ambition.

Marie Brière emphasised that investment must translate into productivity gains: promising technologies need partners and markets to be deployed at scale. Alain Papiasse questioned Europe’s ability to retain its savings, while Fabrizio Pagani highlighted financial education and incentives for long-term investment.

Mobilising savings, scaling up businesses and strengthening European sovereignty: discover the insights and proposals discussed in L’ADN’s article.

Read the full article “Can Europe Still Grow?” on L’ADN (in French)

Visit L’ADN’s website · Explore Conversations à venir on the ILB website

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