Significant progress has been made in recent years in expanding capital markets and establishing a robust regulatory framework. However, inefficiencies remain in European capital markets. On March 19, the European Commission will present its plans for further integration of capital markets through the Savings and Investment Union. In preparation, a consultation was held, to which we responded from DUFAS. We support the objective of the European Commission to develop a Savings and Investment Union to increase the prosperity of EU residents and stimulate economic growth.
One of DUFAS' main spearheads is increasing investor participation. The Netherlands already has a good pension system, but also in the Netherlands a lot of money is still held in savings accounts, while in many cases this money could be better invested. Our position therefore calls for attention to financial education, improving the investor journey and low-threshold advisory services in order to remove barriers for (new) investors.
In addition, our position calls attention to increasing efficiency in the capital market, including through simpler, better and predictable legislation, while limiting compliance costs and leaving room for innovation.
