In 2025, the European Commission presented the Savings and Investment Uniona project aimed at channeling the savings of European citizens. The initiative is simple, it starts by transforming the huge volume of money that remains unused in bank accounts into an engine for priority sectors, like ecological transition, digitalization and industrial innovation, which require much greater resources than public funds can cover.
In figures, during the first quarter of 2025, European households saved 14.6% of their disposable income, but a large part of this money, about 31% is held in bank deposits. This means that around 10 billion euros barely generates profitability or contributes to economic development.
Sectors recommended by the EU
The ecological transition will require approximately 800 billion additional euros per year until 2030, according to the European Round Table of Industrialists. Given this scale, public funds are not enough, so it is essential to mobilize private savings. In this context, the Savings and Investment Union seeks to ensure that citizens actively participate, supporting SMEs, sustainable projects and technologies.
Among the products offered are SME bonds, retail investment funds, pan-European crowdfunding platforms and transnational pension schemes. Some of them will carry the “Finance Europe” label, which guarantees that most of the money will go to companies and projects within the EU.
In addition, they will offer metax incentives to stimulate investment in these instruments.
The Savings and Investment Union project
The measures build on the Capital Markets Union and the recommendations of the Letta 2024 report, which call for completing European financial integration. The strategy is structured around three pillars: harmonize the regulation of financial markets of the different Member States, facilitate access for savers to accessible financial products, And improve financial education of the population.
For savers, this program represents an opportunity to contribute to Europe’s economic growth while seeking profitability. But there are also benefits for businesses, opens the initiative new avenues of financing and access to capital necessary to develop operations, innovate and improve competitiveness.
Financial education is an essential component of the plan. Currently, only one 18% of Europeans achieve a high level of skills financial, with notable differences depending on the country. To fill this gap, the EU designed the European financial education strategywhich includes school and university programs, adult education and the creation of a pan-European financial education network.
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