French Minister Accuses U.S. of Interfering in French Companies' Operations About Trump's DEI Policies
A French minister has accused U.S. diplomats of interfering in the operations of French companies after a letter reportedly sent from the U.S. Embassy in Paris suggested that President Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives could apply outside the United States.
According to reports, major French companies received the letter, which was signed by an officer of the U.S. State Department stationed at the embassy in Paris. The embassy has not responded to inquiries regarding the matter.
A copy of the letter, published by French media, stated that an executive order signed by Trump in January terminating DEI programs within the U.S. federal government also "applies to all suppliers and service providers of the U.S. Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate.”
Recipients of the letter were asked to complete, sign, and return a separate certification form within five days to confirm compliance. The form required companies to certify that they do not operate any DEI programs that violate anti-discrimination laws. It included a checkbox for recipients to confirm their compliance and stated that if they refused to sign, they should provide detailed reasons, which would be forwarded to legal services.
Aurore Bergé, France’s minister for equality between women and men and for combating discrimination, condemned the letter as "a form, obviously, of interference," describing it as an attempt to impose external mandates on French businesses. Speaking in a televised interview, she stated that the French government is closely monitoring the situation and working to determine how many companies received the letter.
The minister noted that many companies had informed the government that they do not intend to respond to what she characterized as an ultimatum from the U.S. Embassy. She reaffirmed that France would not allow external pressures to hinder businesses from promoting social progress, emphasizing that many French companies have no plans to alter their policies in response to the letter.
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