On the occasion of the official visit to Greece of H.E. Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, and in the presence of H.E. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, SEV Hellenic Federation of Enterprises, in collaboration with the French-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIFG), is organising the Greece–France Economic Forum.

Saturday, 25 April 2026
Arrival: 10:00 – 10:45
Dome, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, Athens, Greece

The event is by invitation only.

See event agenda here.

Today, BusinessEurope, the umbrella organisation for the leading national business and employers’ federations of 35 European countries calls for urgent action to save the WTO Appellate Body. In Zagreb, BusinessEurope’s Council of Presidents of national member federations met and sent a strong warning, speaking on behalf of around 20 million small, medium and large companies throughout Europe.

Today, BusinessEurope, the umbrella organisation for the leading national business and employers’ federations of 35 European countries calls for urgent action to save the WTO Appellate Body. In Zagreb, BusinessEurope’s Council of Presidents of national member federations met and sent a strong warning, speaking on behalf of around 20 million small, medium and large companies throughout Europe.

BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz said:

“We see rising protectionism and unilateralism as serious threats to sustainable economic growth. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has been ensuring, since its creation in 1995, that countries around the world respect the rules of the game.

Countries were able to settle disputes in an orderly way through the WTO independent dispute settlement system that includes an Appellate Body. The Appellate Body will be paralysed by next week, leaving the whole dispute settlement system in the verge of collapse in a moment when trade disputes are increasing.

“The current system has provided massive benefits to business and consumers and is an essential element of the WTO. It is not perfect and needs substantial reform, but instead of destroying what we have, we need to agree on improving it. Behind every trade dispute there are companies that rely on clear, stable and enforceable rules. Therefore, we ask all WTO members to act responsibly and find a solution that can prevent the law of the jungle in international trade.

Until an agreement in the WTO is reached, countries should also look at alternative dispute settlement solutions, as the European Commission is currently proposing”.

The EU economy is experiencing an economic slowdown, reflecting declining global demand and uncertainties due to trade tensions. We forecast 1.3% real GDP growth in 2019 for the EU28 and 1.2% in 2020. This entails a significant downwards revision from our spring forecast released half a year ago (down from 1.6% for 2019 and 1.7% for 2020).

As a consequence of trade tensions, European manufacturing output is down around 2% from its peak two years ago. Whilst strong wage rises and increasing employment are supporting domestic consumption, this is likely to fall as consumers become more cautious, acting as a brake on service sector growth.

Substantial risks to the economic outlook are concentrated on the downside due to the potential for escalation of trade tensions between both the USA and China and the USA and the EU, which would impact negatively on business, and the uncertainties that persist around a possible no-deal Brexit.

The outlook also takes stock of the difficulty of hiring specialists with skills in information and communication technology that many businesses experience. It concludes that whilst there is evidence that companies are increasing wages considerably for professions where shortages are most acute, we need a response from the educational system to address growing skills imbalances.

Individual country evaluations

The world is changing rapidly and profoundly as global alliances shift and populism rises. What we are witnessing is not just another era of change but a change of era. Business wants to be part of the solution and ensure that Europe can shape this new era according to its values.

Today, the European business community presents its Ambition for the European Union in 2030. In this paper we set out what is needed to create the right conditions to enhance competitiveness and enable business to play its role in society.

BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz said:

“In the view of the European elections, the business community has a strong responsibility to speak up, explain why the European Union is so important for people’s future and to say what needs to be done to ensure that things are going in the right direction.

Companies are the backbone of Europe’s economic stability and people’s prosperity. Entrepreneurs invest, create jobs and make the economy grow. The private sector accounts for 80% of all jobs in the EU; companies in the EU invested almost €200 billion in research and development in 2016; in 2015, companies spent more than €50 billion on vocational training in the EU.

Business is committed to transforming the economic, social, technological, and environmental challenges we are facing into opportunities and defend our European way of life. Let’s together build an EU we can be proud of. The business ambition for Europe in 2030 is to build a European Union with opportunities for all.“

Today, Pierre Gattaz has taken office as President of BusinessEurope. CEO of Radiall and former President of the French business and employer federation Medef, he is succeeding Emma Marcegaglia. Two of his top priorities will be to increase employment and growth across Europe and to fight against protectionism. Commenting on the latest developments in international trade.

New BusinessEurope President Pierre Gattaz said: “In times of unilateral actions that undermine trade rules and the institutions that enforce them, Europe must show international leadership. We are very concerned about an escalation of measures and countermeasures that could turn into a full trade war. Open markets and rules-based trade are key to retain international leadership and support the competitiveness of European businesses.”

Talking about how Europe should respond he added: “The European Union should continue to protect its interests in line with WTO rules and power ahead with a positive trade agenda, concluding ambitious agreements with like-minded partners. By signing the EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement next week we show how we can work together, opening markets and modernising trading rules that benefit both companies and citizens in the EU and in Japan.”