CEOs worldwide may be eyeing China right now, but European business leaders are also concerned about rumblings in an economy closer to home.
France's economy has struggled to gather pace and this week, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls promised to step up the pace of economic reforms and make the French labor market more flexible.
August's flurry of economic data shows an ongoing recovery, but one that lacks strong momentum. The INSEE business climate index showed that confidence inched higher in August, while the Markit purchasing managers' index (PMI) showed business activity continuing to rise, but at a slightly slower rate than in the previous month.
Data out on Wednesday showed that France's stubbornly high unemployment level crept lower in July. But economic growth flatlined in the second quarter.
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Jad Ariss, deputy CEO of AXA France, termed August's data "disappointing" and said France was failing to fully realize the benefit of low oil prices, the weak euro and low interest rates from the European Central Bank.
"In spite of these elements, the French situation is not really taking off and this is preoccupying," Ariss told CNBC from the annual conference of the MEDEF business lobbying group in Jouy-en-Josas, France on Thursday.