Medef's Summer University 'La REF' Opens Ahead of First 2027 Presidential Debate

The Medef business federation opened its annual 'Rencontre des Entrepreneurs de France' (La REF) summer forum at Roland-Garros under the theme of 'courage,' with attendance roughly double the same date last year. The two-day event builds toward a Thursday debate — the first of the 2027 presidential campaign — bringing together seven leading candidates (Bruno Retailleau, Marine Le Pen, Édouard Philippe, Gabriel Attal, Raphaël Glucksmann, Marine Tondelier and Jean-Luc Mélenchon) to respond to the results of a Medef consultation of 66,000 business leaders, in which 82% said they were pessimistic about the next president's economic policy.