24.9.2026
An initiative by the ESSEC Institute of Geopolitics & Business, co-founded with the French Ministry for the Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energetic, and Digital Sovereignty.
Cergy, September 24th, 2026 - ESSEC Business School has announced the launch of its Observatory for Economic Security, following the first Conference for Economic Security chaired by Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energetic and Digital Sovereignty.
Faced with increasingly sophisticated, frequent and large-scale threats to major French companies, the French government has presented its new economic security doctrine.
In response, the ESSEC Institute of Geopolitics & Business has founded the Observatory for Economic Security. It follows four prime directives:
Photo copyright : Hamilton de Oliveira, Ministère de l'Économie et des Finances
The Observatory was created in partnership with the Strategic Information and Economic Security Service of the Ministry of the Economy. It is backed by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, through the Research Action
Department of the Diplomatic and Consular Academy. It is also supported by two co-founding sponsors: Forvis Mazars, a leading player in auditing, accounting, and consulting, and the law firm Brocardi, Celse et Associés, specializing in export control issues.
“Studies conducted by the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business show that economic leaders are aware of the risks of technological, financial, and energy dependencies for their companies. The Observatory for Economic Security will allow us to go further and understand how companies can determine and manage their dependencies, an issue at the heart of economic security,” explains Vincenzo Vinzi, Dean and President of ESSEC.
"The conference provides the first public opportunity to present our economic security strategy. We will respond firmly to any attempts at coercion or predation targeting the strategic assets of our companies and research laboratories. To detect and address these threats, we are strengthening our ties with the academic world. The creation of an economic security observatory, in partnership with ESSEC, will enable us to raise awareness among students and alumni, encourage the sharing of best practices with business leaders, and better anticipate and assess emerging threats by leveraging ESSEC’s research in economics, political science, and management. We hope that this partnership with ESSEC Business School, which serves important objectives, will inspire others," said Roland Lescure, Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energetic, and Digital Sovereignty.
Julia Smith, International Media Relations Officer - 01 34 43 98 25 – smith@essec.edu
Marie Caroline Saro, External Communications Manager - 06 99 09 82 25 – saro@essec.edu
Created in 2024 by ESSEC, the ESSEC Institute for Geopolitics & Business examines how geopolitical shocks reshape companies' economic models. Based across ESSEC Business School's campuses in France, Morocco, and Singapore, it brings a tri-continental perspective to what drives corporate competitiveness in the post-globalization era: more vigilance, more resilience and less dependance. It feeds into ESSEC's degree programs, executive education, and research to foster a new generation of geopolitics-proof business leaders capable of steering and growing companies amid an increasingly brutalized world. Rooted in ESSEC's academic excellence, the Institute draws on 4 flagship centers: the IRENE Center for Negotiation & Mediation (established in 1996), the Center for Geopolitics, Defense & Leadership (established in 2021), The Center for European Law & Economics (established in 2008), and the Chair Business & Industry in Africa (established in 2024).
ESSEC Business School has been a prestigious institution for higher learning since its foundation in 1907, set apart by its humanist approach. In light of current and future economic, environmental, social and geopolitical challenges, ESSEC is committed to transforming its teaching, research, and campuses to train inclusive, influential and multicultural leaders.
With 8534 students in pre-experience programs and 5000 participants in executive education across four campuses in Cergy, La Défense, Rabat and Singapore, ESSEC offers programs recognized as some of the best in the world. ESSEC’s exceptional faculty, composed of 171 professors and 26 emeritus professors, 240 partnerships with prestigious international universities and an alumni network of over 79 000 members, showcases ESSEC’s commitment to excellence and academic innovation.
