Views from AFME

European equity markets are often misunderstood. Policy makers, investors, and companies frequently operate on assumptions that don’t fully reflect reality — influencing decisions about where to list, how rules are shaped, where to invest, and how capital flows across Europe. It’s time to separate myth from reality.  

Europe’s financial services sector is burdened by excessive rules. As of mid-last year, more than a quarter of EU Delegated Acts adopted across all policy areas concern financial services – more than agriculture and environment combined. And that’s before counting the EU Directives, Regulations, national laws and supervisory expectations layered on top or underneath. The volume has become so vast that it is hard to keep track.