Diritto Pubblico Comparato ed Europeo

Sommario

1. Premessa. – 2. L’ordinamento creditizio francese. – 2.1. Le categorie di enti creditizi. – 3. Ordinamento del credito e fondazioni in Francia: la difficoltà di una comparazione con le fondazioni bancarie italiane. – 3.1. Nozione di fondazione in Francia. – 3.2. “Tipi” di fondazione nell’ordinamento francese. – 4. La rarità e marginalità delle fondazioni in Francia: i motivi di un insuccesso. – 5. I primi sintomi di un possibile cambiamento di rotta nella diversificazione delle attività e nei modi di esercizio dell’azione svolta. – 6. Tra fondazioni ed ordinamento del credito: il caso emblematico della Fondation BNP Paribas. – 7. Conclusioni.

Abstract

The Author analyses the French banking system and foundations in a comparative perspective, with particular attention to the complex phenomenon of Italian fondazioni bancarie. First, he describes the French banking system and underlines the privatisation process that has taken place over the last fifteen years, thus making it more coherent with the rules and principles laid down by community law. Second, the Author examines French foundations and stresses that the term «foundation» is legally protected and can only be used by those entities that are public utility foundations, corporate foundations or non-autonomous foundations under the aegis of a limited number of public utility foundations (such as the Fondation de France). He also underlines that French foundations must pursue a public benefit purpose. As a consequence, establishing a new foundation in France is still very complicated because it requires, first, approval by a public utility and, second, minimal capital. Finally, the Author deals with the possible statutory convergence between French foundations and Italian fondazioni bancarie. The Author argues that foundations remain uncharted from a comparative perspective because the sheer complexity and richness of the phenomenon – historically, legally, politically as well as culturally – seems to preclude any systematic approach in comparing French foundations and Italian fondazioni bancarie.