When he came at the head of Caisse des Dépôts, Augustin de Romanet wished to improve the transparency of Caisse des Dépôts' rules. "We can never be specific enough in our job rules. These allow us to know why we act and to respond to criticism regarding the alleged arbitrariness of our actions", as he pointed out in July 2007.

The group's Elan 2020 strategic plan, presented in December 2007 and approved by the supervisory board and public powers provides for the formalisation of the action rules. Prepared during the 1^st semester of 2008, they were approved by the supervisory board after the adoption of the Law for the Modernisation of the Economy, between July and September 2008.

According to Michel Bouvard, Chairman of the supervisory board, "the diffusion of the action rules was a very important step for Caisse des Dépôts. They set precise directions for its teams and also its partners. They directly contribute to Caisse des Dépôts' transparency and visibility. »

The action rules were made public on 18th December 2008.