The strategic sectors in which the EU recommends that Europeans invest their savings

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 from transforming the enormous volume of money that remains idle in bank accounts into an engine for priority sectors, such as the ecological transition, digitalization and industrial innovation, that require much greater resources than public funds can cover.

Speaking in numbers, during the first quarter of 2025, European households saved 14.6% of their disposable income, but a large part of that money, around 31% is held in bank deposits. This means that approximately 10 billion euros barely generate profitability or contribute to economic development.

The sectors that the EU recommends

The ecological transition will require about An additional 800 billion euros per year until 2030, according to the European Round Table of Industrialists. Given this magnitude, public funds are not enough, so mobilizing private savings is essential. In this context, the Savings and Investment Union seeks to ensure that citizens participate actively, supporting SMEs, sustainable projects and technologies.

Among the proposed products are SME bonds, investment funds aimed at retailers, pan-European crowdfunding platforms and transnational pension plans. Some of them will have the “Finance Europe” label, which guarantees that most of the money goes to companies and projects within the EU.

In addition, they will offer itax incentives to stimulate investment in these instruments.

The Savings and Investment Union plan

The measures are based on the Capital Markets Union and the recommendations of the Letta Report 2024, which call for completing European financial integration. The strategy is articulated in three pillars: harmonize the regulation of financial markets of the different Member States, facilitate savers’ access 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 companies, the initiative opens new avenues of financing and access to capital necessary to expand 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 between countries. To address this gap, the EU has designed the European Financial Education Strategywhich includes school and university programs, adult training and the creation of a pan-European financial education network.