Meeting at Roland-Garros, the Medef calls for winning "the decisive game" of the country's recovery

The French Entrepreneurs' Meeting (REF 2025) organized by the Medef (French employers' association) opened Wednesday afternoon at Roland-Garros in Paris. In a small nod to the temple of tennis, this 7th edition's theme is " Decisive game: time for choices." "And it's urgent," emphasizes Patrick Martin. To drive the point home, the president of the employers' organization entered the stage to the song The Final Countdown (1) by the group Europe before delivering an offensive speech, somewhere between concern and determination. In front of a large audience of entrepreneurs, he chose to open the session without political leaders to "talk among ourselves" and remind us of the scale of the challenges facing the country. Continuing with the tennis metaphor, the president of Medef, which represents 240,000 companies employing 12 million people, insisted on the idea that France is today playing a "decisive game" : the gravity of the crises – economic, budgetary, geopolitical – no longer allows "neither denial, nor demagogy, nor pretense." There is no question of waiting until 2027 for political solutions: "Entrepreneurs demand rapid decisions, commensurate with the challenges."

Production, investment and competitiveness

At the center of his speech: the need to revive national production, the only source of growth, jobs, and sovereignty. Welcoming the Prime Minister's diagnosis, Patrick Martin denounced the decline in investment by French companies over the past three years, pointing to taxation and regulatory instability as the culprit. Categorically refusing any further increase in taxes – "France remains the OECD country where companies are taxed the most" – he also rejected the idea of ​​a return of the ISF (wealth tax), "a devastation for the economy." Before castigating the "anti-confidence" fostered by certain political discourses, in his view, only a reduction in public spending – and not an increase in taxes – will restore the state's finances.

A Europe that is "too virtuous"

Also in his sights: the European Union, which the boss of bosses considers too slow, too prescriptive, and even counterproductive. He also criticized "excessive" environmental objectives that would weaken its industry without having any real impact on global CO2 emissions. At the same time, he pointed to the renewed vigor of neighboring countries – Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Greece – which demonstrate that "good public policy is possible in Europe," regardless of the political colors in power.

Youth, a priority

Another central aspect of the speech: youth. With a youth unemployment rate close to 19% and 1.5 million "NEETs" (people neither in employment nor in training), the situation is described as "a collective failure" . The Medef wants to make it a priority, setting the goal of reducing this unemployment by half within five years. How? In particular, by supporting the reform of vocational high schools, by encouraging apprenticeships, and by calling for a modernization of the first university cycle.

Calling for social dialogue with unions, Patrick Martin warned against any attempt to stigmatize the business world. "Playing public opinion against businesses would be madness," he insisted, emphasizing that the French now trust businesses more than political institutions.

In conclusion, the speech took on almost militant overtones: refusal of resignation, call for employer unity, and conviction that "French success is still possible, provided that entrepreneurs are given free rein." Before recalling this phrase from Roland-Garros: "Victory belongs to the most stubborn." A word to the wise.

1. "The Final Countdown."