French minister says many firms won’t respond to U.S. embassy anti-DEI letter: ‘It’s out of the question that we’ll prevent our business from promoting social progress’
On Sunday, a French minister accused the American diplomats of interfering in the operations of French companies by sending a letter to them that he told them that US President Donald Trump’s retreat in diversity, fairness and integration initiatives could also be applied outside the United States.
The French media said that the message received by the major French companies had been signed by an American Foreign Ministry officer working at the American embassy in Paris. The embassy did not answer the questions this week from the Associated Press.
Le Figaro Daily published what she said was a copy of the letter. The document said that the executive thing that Trump signed in January ends the DEI programs within the federal government “applies to all suppliers and service providers in the American government, regardless of their nationality and the country they work in.”
The document asked the recipient to complete them, sign them and return within five days a separate certificate form to prove that they are in compliance.
“All Foreign Ministry contractors must believe that they do not run any programs promoting Dei that violate any applicable anti -discrimination laws,” said this model, also published by Le Figaro.
Request the model from the recipient to mark a box to confirm that “they do not manage any programs that enhance diversity, fairness and inclusion that violates any federal laws to combat the applicable discrimination.”
The letter added: “If you do not agree to sign this document, we will appreciate this if you can provide detailed reasons, which we will send to our legal services.”
On Sunday, Oourur Berg, Minister of Equality in France between women and men and combating discrimination, said on Sunday that the message is “a form, clearly, from intervention. This means that it is an attempt to impose dictates on our actions.”
Speaking to the broadcaster BFMTV, she said that the government of France “is closely following the situation” and is working to determine the number of companies that received the message.
The minister said that “many companies” told the government that it is not planning to respond, “because they have no response, in fact, to the kind of warning that the American embassy in our country has set.”
The minister said: “We are not expected to prevent our work from promoting social progress.” “Fortunately, many French companies do not plan to change their bases.”
This story was originally shown on Fortune.com
2025-03-31 08:47:00
