Several leaders at firms listed on the CAC 40 have increased their engagement with RN…reports Asian Lite News
France’s far-right Rassemblement National (RN) has intensified efforts to engage with business leaders and international investors as the possibility of the party entering government becomes increasingly realistic, according to a report by the Financial Times.
Party figures including Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen have held discussions with senior executives and investors seeking to assess the party’s economic stance and prepare for potential political change. Contacts between RN and corporate leaders, once largely avoided, have become more frequent, particularly among executives at France’s largest companies.
Several leaders at firms listed on the CAC 40 have increased their engagement with RN, with one senior board member suggesting that interacting with a leading political force was a responsibility rather than an endorsement. Business figures attending private meetings in Paris have increasingly treated the party as a serious actor, with the aim of encouraging greater coherence and predictability in its economic programme.
The chief executive of Airbus, Guillaume Faury, indicated in a December radio interview that engagement with RN reflected political reality, noting that companies do not choose which parties gain influence but must respond to those that do.
The outreach comes as Bardella has emerged as one of France’s most popular political figures. With Le Pen currently barred from running in the 2027 presidential election following a conviction for embezzlement of EU funds, which she is appealing, polling cited by the FT suggests Bardella would outperform potential rivals in a second-round contest. Surveys also indicate RN would secure the largest share of votes if parliamentary elections were held again, following a period of political instability after President Emmanuel Macron called early elections in 2024.
Bardella has also worked to raise his international profile, including meetings abroad and increased engagement with foreign investors. In December, he met UK-based hedge fund managers and asset managers in Paris, according to people familiar with the discussions. The talks focused on explaining RN’s economic priorities and reassuring investors about the party’s approach to fiscal policy and financial markets.
RN confirmed that such meetings had taken place but declined to provide further detail. Investment firms involved also declined to comment.
The party’s growing acceptance among business circles has been aided by intermediaries such as François Durvye of Otium Capital, who has facilitated contacts between RN leaders and executives since 2021. Durvye told the FT that recent interest reflected a more pragmatic approach by business leaders as RN’s electoral prospects improve.
Despite the increased dialogue, doubts persist among executives over elements of RN’s programme, including proposals to reduce France’s EU budget contributions, reverse pension reforms and introduce new taxes on share buybacks. Some business leaders believe the party faces a strategic trade-off between appealing to corporate interests and maintaining support among its traditional voter base in economically disadvantaged regions.
Nonetheless, the expanding engagement highlights how RN has moved closer to the political mainstream, a shift reinforced by Bardella’s modernised image and the party’s long-running effort to distance itself from its extremist past.
