The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (, MEAE) is the ministry of the

Government of France The Government of France (, ), officially the Government of the French Republic (, ), exercises Executive (government), executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister of France, prime minister, who is the head of government, ...

that handles France's

foreign relations Foreign policy, also known as external policy, is the set of strategies and actions a State (polity), state employs in its interactions with other states, unions, and international entities. It encompasses a wide range of objectives, includ ...

. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37

Quai d'Orsay The Quai d'Orsay ( , ) is a quay in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is part of the left bank of the Seine opposite the Place de la Concorde. It becomes the Quai Anatole-France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai Branly west of the ...

, close to the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

. The term Quai d'Orsay is often used as a

metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...

for the ministry. Its cabinet minister, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs () is responsible for the

foreign relations of France In the 19th century France built a new French colonial empire second only to the British Empire. It was humiliated in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, which marked the rise of Germany to dominance in Europe. France allied with Great Bri ...

. The current officeholder,

Jean-Noël Barrot Jean-Noël Barrot (; born 13 May 1983) is a French-Swiss politician of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) who has been serving as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in the successive governments of Prime Ministers Michel Barnier and François ...

, was appointed in September 2024. (For a brief period in the 1980s from 1984 to 1986, the office was titled Minister for External Relations.) In 1547, royal secretaries became specialised, writing correspondence to foreign governments and negotiating peace treaties. The four French secretaries of state where foreign relations were divided by region, in 1589, became centralised with one becoming first secretary responsible for international relations. The

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

position of

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs may refer to: * Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Spain) *Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (UK) The secretary of state for foreign, commonwealth and development affairs, also known as the fore ...

became Foreign Minister around 1723; Charles Hélion Marie le Gendre Luçay (comte de)
Des origines du pouvoir ministériel en France: les secrétaires d'état depuis leur institution jusqu'à la mort de Louis XV
Librairie de la Société bibliographique, 1881.l it was renamed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1791 in the aftermath of early stages of the French Revolution. All ministerial positions were abolished in 1794 by the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

and reestablished with the Directory.

Central administration

There are multiple services under its authority, along with that of some other ministers. Under the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, that of Cooperation and European Affairs, and that of Foreign and European Affairs, there are numerous services directly related to the ministers. Here is a list of those services. * The ministers' cabinet * The office of cabinets, which gathers a personnel in charge of the administrative and logistics aspects of the three ministers' cabinets * The budget control service (''CBCM'') * General inspection of foreign affairs (''IGAE'') * The prospective office (''DP'') * The Protocole, upon which the President's protocol cell relies * The Crisis management Department (''CDC'')

Secretaries of State (1547–1723)

Minister for Foreign Affairs (1718–1791)

Ministers of Foreign Affairs (1791–2007)

Consulate and First Empire

First Restoration and the Hundred Days

Second Restoration

July Monarchy

Second Republic

Second Empire

Third Republic

Vichy Regime

Free French Commissioners

Fourth Republic

Fifth Republic

Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs (2007–2012)

Ministers of Foreign Affairs and International Development (2012–2017)

Ministers of Europe and Foreign Affairs (2017–present)

References

External links

on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website (archived)
Official site of the Ministry of Foreign AffairsOfficial treaty database of France
(archived)
''Dictionnaire historique des institutions, mœurs et coutumes de la France'', Adolphe Chéruel, L. Hachette et cie, 1855
at ''Rulers.org'' {{authority control Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs Europe and Foreign Affairs

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...