society could measure the commitment of the banking sector in terms of sustainability. the current financial crisis left no doubt as to the fact that financial institutions exert a substantial indirect impact on society and its economy. this impact may be considerable in both directions and go far beyond the mere financing of projects or management of risk. perhaps confidence in the financial sector could be rekindled thanks to such notions, with a return to fundamentals : simplicity ( of products in particular, circuits and funding of companies or virtuous projects ), transparency, ethics and balance. my third question is : can csr give rise to an alternative or complementary regulatory approach that could reinforce global regulation policies? this would imply that the taking into account of csr in management models would result in a certain form of self - regulation, for example with recognised codes of conduct. different incentives are contributing to this, such as pressure from direct stakeholders and ngos and regulatory incentives, in particular in terms of reporting. lastly, i would like to say a few words about the banque de france. i wish to stress that, as a company, csr is of great importance. its current sustainable development strategy combines a two - pronged approach : an environmental footprint reduction programme and a review of its tasks in the light of sustainable development. in this respect, the banque de france will, for example, seek to develop the financial culture of the public, spread best practice in the fight against money laundering, encourage economic and financial research in new fields, such as the development of “ carbon finance ”. i attach great importance to these subjects, and my wish is to see the banque de france adopt its own sustainable development charter, which formalises its commitments. this should be achieved by the end of this year and will no doubt further enhance the actions of the banque de france. in the light of this collective awareness of the environmental ( finitude and fragility of natural resources ), economic and societal implications, central banks perform their task of preserving financial stability while taking into account and anticipating events. this approach, as recent developments have shown, has to be increasingly systemic and co - operative, involving companies, banks, governments and central banks. the interactivity between the players and the combination of their respective responsibilities should constitute a virtuous basis for a “ sound financing of a sustainable economy ”. “ sound financing of a sustainable economy ” and “ financial stability ” are mutually reinforcing concepts. i would like to thank you for giving

me the opportunity of presenting these considerations, before handing the floor to ms kosciusko - morizet. minister, please allow me to stress the formidable efforts you have made, both at the national and european level together with president sarkozy and mr borloo, to provide sustainable solutions to the current challenges. you take a long - term view by calling for “ a common battle ” – these are your own words – in favour of the economy and the environment. this is clearly an “ awareness ” that we have to share collectively today!