Grant Thornton’s annual Future of Europe report shows that 93% of businesses in the Eurozone want to see the euro survive and three in four (75%) say that entry into the single currency has benefited their organization. Business optimism has also risen across the Eurozone from 8% to 25% over the past three months.

However, when asked whether they would like to see further integration between member states, businesses in France and Germany were markedly less positive compared with this time last year. In Germany, only the 55% of firms are now open to further economic integration, down 20 percentage points from this time last year. In France, this index has dropped 12 percentage points to 57%.  

“Europe is not out of the woods just yet. Deflation is a growing concern, as is the plight of youth unemployment which is still unacceptably high. The situation in Ukraine is also creating uncertainty. Against this backdrop, a loss of support at the heart of Europe’s business community is to be avoided at all costs if growth is to continue and the region is to strengthen.

With EU reform high on the agenda for policymakers, it is vital to listen to the views and concerns of businesses and work together to secure a prosperous future for Europe”, stated Managing partner at Grant Thornton Armenia Gagik Gyulbudaghyan.