French President Macron Visits Athens, Advocates EU Joint Borrowing Amid Growing Investments

French President Emmanuel Macron visited Athens on April 25, 2026, where he met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and spoke to nearly 200 Greek and French business leaders. Accompanied by a delegation of French business leaders, Macron advocated for new joint borrowing by European Union member states to fund future-oriented investments.

Le Monde reported these details from the visit, highlighting Macron's push amid Greece's economic rebound.

Macron stated, 'Greece is a tremendous economic and political success. ) But French investments are still not at the level they should be,' during his address on April 25, 2026. This comment came as he addressed the gathering in the Greek capital, emphasizing opportunities for deeper economic ties.

The visit underscored France's interest in Greece's rapidly growing economy, with business leaders exploring investment prospects. During the trip, Roland Lescure, France's minister of the economy, inaugurated the technical support center of Euronext in Athens alongside Stéphane Boujnah, CEO of Euronext.

Euronext acquired the Athens Stock Exchange in November 2025, and the new center is expected to create around 10 jobs.

Boujnah said, 'It is already ramping up hiring in high-value-added sectors, especially in software engineering, data and analytics, cybersecurity, and market operations,' specifying that the center should be operational by the end of 2026. Around 200 French companies operate in Greece, employing 17,000 people, according to Le Monde.

French investments in Greece were valued at €2 billion in 2025 and have surged by more than 50% over the past five years, as reported by the French-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce.

These figures reflect Greece's steady economic growth of over 2% annually for the past three years. Unemployment in Greece has dropped by 15 points since the financial crisis that hit the country between 2010 and 2018. During that crisis, several French companies, including banks, Carrefour, Fnac, and insurance groups, stopped their activities in Greece.

Le Monde noted that these developments have accompanied the decrease in Greek national debt, though the source material did not provide specific debt figures.