French sustainable investment forum FIR (Forum pour l’Investissement Responsable) has challenged candidates of the forthcoming presidential election about the role of socially responsible investing.
Highlighting that SRI-compliant assets managed in France currently amount to over €750bn, FIR’s chairman Thierry Philipponnat has asked the candidates their views on the matter in an open letter.
He listed three questions :
- Which role do you want the financial sector to play in the setup of a sustainable economy?
- Which measures are you willing to take in order to support responsible finance that takes into account ESG criteria in investment decisions?
- How would you encourage French savings to move towards an economy integrating sustainable development issues?
The official list of the 11 candidates running for the French presidential election was unveiled on 18 March 2017. It includes Nathalie Arthaud, François Asselineau, Jacques Cheminade, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, François Fillon, Benoît Hamon, Jean Lassalle, Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Luc Mélenchon et Philippe Poutou.
Only five of them (François Fillon, Benoît Hamon, Marine Le Pen, Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Luc Mélenchon) will take part to the first TV debate tonight broadcast on French channel TF1.
FIR gathers French SRI players and aims to promote responsible finance in the country.
