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Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (France)

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Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
Agency overview
Formed1547
JurisdictionGovernment of France
HeadquartersHôtel du ministre des Affaires étrangères, 37 Quai d'Orsay, Paris 7e
Agency executive
Websitediplomatie.gouv.fr
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The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (French: Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères, MEAE) is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Quai d'Orsay is often used as a metonym for the ministry. Its cabinet minister, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs (French: Ministre de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères) is responsible for the foreign relations of France. The current officeholder, Jean-Noël Barrot, was appointed in September 2024.

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 position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs became Foreign Minister around 1723;[1] 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 and reestablished with the Directory.

For a brief period in the 1980s from 1984 to 1986, the office was retitled Minister for External Relations. As of 2024, it is designated as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and occupied by Stéphane Séjourné, who is assisted by Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Secretary of State for Development and International Partnerships, and Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister Delegate for Europe, and Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade, Economic Attractiveness, Francophonie and French Nationals Abroad.

Central administration

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Foreign Affairs Ministry building on the Quai d'Orsay

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)

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Name from to
Guillaume Bochetel, seigneur de Sussy 1547 1558
Côme Clausse, seigneur de Marchaumont 1547 1559
Claude de l’Aubespine 1 April 1547 1567
Jean du Thiers, seigneur de Beauregard 1547 1559
Jacques Bourdin, seigneur de Villeines 1558 1567
Florimond II Robertet, seigneur de Fresnes 1558 1567
Florimond III Robertet d'Alluye 1559 1569
Simon Fizes, baron de Sauves 22 October 1567 27 November 1579
Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy 28 October 1567 1588
Pierre Brûlart, seigneur de Genlis 8 June 1569 1588
Claude Pinart, seigneur de Comblisy and Crambailles 1570 1588
Louis de Revol 1 January 1589 17 September 1594
Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy 30 December 1594 9 August 1616
Armand Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, Bishop of Luçon 30 November 1616 24 April 1617
Pierre Brulart, vicomte de Puysieux 24 April 1617 11 March 1626
Raymond Phelypeaux, seigneur d'Herbault 11 March 1626 2 May 1629
Claude Bouthillier 2 May 1629 18 March 1632
Léon Bouthillier, comte de Chavigny 18 March 1632 23 June 1643
Henri-Auguste de Loménie, comte de Brienne 23 June 1643 3 April 1663
Hugues de Lionne 3 April 1663 1 September 1671
Simon Arnauld, marquis de Pomponne 1 September 1671 18 November 1679
Charles Colbert, marquis de Croissy 12 February 1680 28 July 1696
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcy 28 July 1696 22 September 1715
Nicolas du Blé, marquis d'Huxelles 23 September 1715 1 September 1718

Minister for Foreign Affairs (1718–1791)

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Name from to
Guillaume Dubois 24 September 1718 10 August 1723
Charles Jean-Baptiste Fleuriau, comte de Morville 16 August 1723 19 August 1727
Germain Louis Chauvelin 23 August 1727 20 February 1737
Jean-Jacques Amelot de Chaillou 22 February 1737 26 April 1744
Adrien Maurice, duc de Noailles 26 April 1744 19 November 1744
René de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis d'Argenson 19 November 1744 10 January 1747
Louis Philogène Brûlart, vicomte de Puisieulx 27 January 1747 9 September 1751
François Dominique de Barberie de Saint-Contest 11 September 1751 24 July 1754
Antoine Louis Rouillé 24 July 1754 28 June 1757
François Joachim de Pierre de Bernis 28 June 1757 9 October 1758
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul 3 December 1758 13 October 1761
César Gabriel de Choiseul-Chevigny, duc de Praslin 13 October 1761 10 April 1766
Étienne François, duc de Choiseul 10 April 1766 24 December 1770
Louis Phélypeaux, duc de La Vrillère 24 December 1770 6 June 1771
Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon 6 June 1771 2 June 1774
Henri Léonard Jean Baptiste Bertin 2 June 1774 21 July 1774
Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes 21 July 1774 13 February 1787
Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem 14 February 1787 13 July 1789
Paul François de Quelen, duc de la Vauguyon 13 July 1789 16 July 1789
Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem 16 July 1789 29 November 1791

Ministers of Foreign Affairs (1791–2007)

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Portrait of Talleyrand by François Gérard, 1808
Portrait of Chateaubriand by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson, 1809
Name from to
Claude Antoine Valdec de Lessart 29 November 1791 15 March 1792
Charles Dumouriez 15 March 1792 13 June 1792
Pierre Paul de Méredieu, baron de Naillac 13 June 1792 18 June 1792
Scipion Victor, marquis de Chambonas 18 June 1792 23 July 1792
François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage 23 July 1792 1 August 1792
Claude Bigot de Sainte-Croix 1 August 1792 10 August 1792
Pierre Henri Hélène Marie Lebrun-Tondu 10 August 1792 21 June 1793
François Louis Michel Chemin Deforgues 21 June 1793 2 April 1794
Jean Marie Claude Alexandre Goujon 5 April 1794 8 April 1794
Martial Joseph Armand Herman 8 April 1794 20 April 1794
Philibert Buchot 20 April 1794 3 November 1795
Michel Ange Bernard Mangourit 3 November 1794 21 November 1794
André François Miot de Melito 21 November 1794 19 February 1795
Jean-Victor Colchen 19 February 1795 3 November 1795
Charles-François Delacroix 3 November 1795 15 July 1797
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord 15 July 1797 20 July 1799
Charles-Frédéric Reinhard 20 July 1799 22 November 1799

Consulate and First Empire

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Name from to
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent 22 November 1799 9 August 1807
Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny, duc de Cadore 9 August 1807 17 April 1811
Hugues Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano 17 April 1811 20 November 1813
Armand Augustin Louis Caulaincourt, duc de Vicence 20 November 1813 1 April 1814
Antoine René Charles Mathurin, comte de Laforest 3 April 1814 13 May 1814

First Restoration and the Hundred Days

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Name from to
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent 13 May 1814 20 March 1815
Armand Augustin Louis Caulaincourt, duc de Vicence 20 March 1815 22 June 1815
Louis, baron Bignon 22 June 1815 7 July 1815

Second Restoration

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Name from to
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent 9 July 1815 26 September 1815
Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, duc de Richelieu 26 September 1815 29 December 1818
Jean Joseph Paul Augustin, marquis Dessolles 29 December 1818 19 November 1819
Étienne Denis, baron Pasquier 19 November 1819 14 December 1821
Mathieu Jean Félicité, duc de Montmorency-Laval 14 December 1821 28 December 1822
François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand 28 December 1822 4 August 1824
Ange Hyacinthe Maxence, baron de Damas 4 August 1824 4 January 1828
Auguste, comte de La Ferronays 4 January 1828 24 April 1829
Anne Pierre Adrien, duc de Montmorency-Laval 24 April 1829 14 May 1829
Joseph-Marie, comte Portalis 14 May 1829 8 August 1829
Jules Armand Auguste Marie, prince de Polignac 8 August 1829 29 July 1830
Victor Louis Victurnien, duc de Mortemart 29 July 1830
Louis, baron Bignon 31 July 1830 1 August 1830

July Monarchy

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Name from to
Jean-Baptiste, comte Jourdan 1 August 1830 11 August 1830
Louis, comte Molé 11 August 1830 2 November 1830
Nicolas Joseph, marquis Maison 2 November 1830 17 November 1830
Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani 17 November 1830 11 October 1832
Victor, duc de Broglie 11 October 1832 4 April 1834
Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny 4 April 1834 10 November 1834
Charles Joseph, comte Bresson 10 November 1834 18 November 1834
Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny 18 November 1834 12 March 1835
Victor, duc de Broglie 12 March 1835 22 February 1836
Adolphe Thiers 22 February 1836 6 September 1836
Louis, comte Molé 6 September 1836 31 March 1839
Louis Napoléon Lannes, duc de Montebello 31 March 1839 12 May 1839
Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie 12 May 1839 1 March 1840
Adolphe Thiers 1 March 1840 29 October 1840
François Guizot 29 October 1840 23 February 1848

Second Republic

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Name from to
Alphonse de Lamartine 24 February 1848 11 May 1848
Jules Bastide 11 May 1848 29 June 1848
Marie-Alphonse Bedeau 29 June 1848 17 July 1848
Jules Bastide 17 July 1848 20 December 1848
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 20 December 1848 2 June 1849
Alexis de Tocqueville 2 June 1849 31 October 1849
Alphonse de Rayneval 31 October 1849 17 November 1849
Jean-Ernest Ducos, vicomte de La Hitte 17 November 1849 9 January 1851
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 9 January 1851 24 January 1851
Anatole, baron Brénier de Renaudière 24 January 1851 10 April 1851
Jules Baroche 10 April 1851 26 October 1851
Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot 26 October 1851 28 July 1852

Second Empire

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Name from to
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 28 July 1852 7 May 1855
Alexandre Colonna, comte Walewski 7 May 1855 4 January 1860
Jules Baroche 4 January 1860 24 January 1860
Édouard Thouvenel 24 January 1860 15 October 1862
Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 15 October 1862 1 September 1866
Charles, marquis de La Valette 1 September 1866 2 October 1866
Lionel de Moustier 2 October 1866 17 December 1868
Charles, marquis de La Valette 17 December 1868 17 July 1869
Henri, prince de La Tour d'Auvergne 17 July 1869 2 January 1870
Napoléon, comte Daru 2 January 1870 14 April 1870
Émile Ollivier 14 April 1870 15 May 1870
Agenor, duc de Gramont 15 May 1870 10 August 1870
Henri, prince de La Tour d'Auvergne 10 August 1870 4 September 1870

Third Republic

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Name from to
Jules Favre 4 September 1870 2 August 1871
Charles, comte de Rémusat 2 August 1871 25 May 1873
Albert, duc de Broglie 25 May 1873 26 November 1873
Louis Decazes, duc de Glucksberg 29 November 1873 23 November 1877
Gaston-Robert, marquis de Banneville 23 November 1877 13 December 1877
William Henry Waddington 13 December 1877 28 December 1879
Charles de Freycinet 28 December 1879 23 September 1880
Jules Barthélemy-Saint-Hilaire 23 September 1880 14 November 1881
Léon Gambetta 14 November 1881 30 January 1882
Charles de Freycinet 30 January 1882 7 August 1882
Charles Duclerc 7 August 1882 29 January 1883
Armand Fallières 29 January 1883 21 February 1883
Paul-Armand Challemel-Lacour 21 February 1883 20 November 1883
Jules Ferry 20 November 1883 6 April 1885
Charles de Freycinet 6 April 1885 11 December 1886
Émile Flourens 11 December 1886 3 April 1888
René Goblet 3 April 1888 22 February 1889
Eugène Spuller 22 February 1889 17 March 1890
Alexandre Ribot 17 March 1890 11 January 1893
Jules Develle 11 January 1893 3 December 1893
Jean Casimir-Perier 3 December 1893 30 May 1894
Gabriel Hanotaux 30 May 1894 1 November 1895
Marcellin Berthelot 1 November 1895 28 March 1896
Léon Bourgeois 28 March 1896 29 April 1896
Gabriel Hanotaux 29 April 1896 28 June 1898
Théophile Delcassé 28 June 1898 6 June 1905
Maurice Rouvier 6 June 1905 13 March 1906
Léon Bourgeois 14 March 1906 25 October 1906
Stéphen Pichon 25 October 1906 2 March 1911
Jean Cruppi 2 March 1911 27 June 1911
Justin de Selves 27 June 1911 9 January 1912
Raymond Poincaré 14 January 1912 22 January 1913
Charles Jonnart 22 January 1913 22 March 1913
Stéphen Pichon 22 March 1913 9 December 1913
Gaston Doumergue 9 December 1913 9 June 1914
Léon Bourgeois 9 June 1914 13 June 1914
René Viviani 13 June 1914 3 August 1914
Gaston Doumergue 3 August 1914 26 August 1914
Théophile Delcassé 26 August 1914 13 October 1915
René Viviani 13 October 1915 29 October 1915
Aristide Briand 29 October 1915 20 March 1917
Alexandre Ribot 20 March 1917 23 October 1917
Louis Barthou 23 October 1917 16 November 1917
Stéphen Pichon 16 November 1917 20 January 1920
Alexandre Millerand 20 January 1920 24 September 1920
Georges Leygues 24 September 1920 16 January 1921
Aristide Briand 16 January 1921 15 January 1922
Raymond Poincaré 15 January 1922 9 June 1924
Edmond Lefebvre du Prey 9 June 1924 14 June 1924
Édouard Herriot 14 June 1924 17 April 1925
Aristide Briand 17 April 1925 19 July 1926
Édouard Herriot 19 July 1926 23 July 1926
Aristide Briand 23 July 1926 14 January 1932
Pierre Laval 14 January 1932 20 February 1932
André Tardieu 20 February 1932 3 June 1932
Édouard Herriot 3 June 1932 18 December 1932
Joseph Paul-Boncour 18 December 1932 30 January 1934
Édouard Daladier 30 January 1934 9 February 1934
Louis Barthou 9 February 1934 9 October 1934
Pierre Laval 13 October 1934 24 January 1936
Pierre Étienne Flandin 24 January 1936 4 June 1936
Yvon Delbos 4 June 1936 13 March 1938
Joseph Paul-Boncour 13 March 1938 10 April 1938
Georges Bonnet 10 April 1938 13 September 1939
Édouard Daladier 13 September 1939 21 March 1940
Paul Reynaud 21 March 1940 18 May 1940
Édouard Daladier 18 May 1940 5 June 1940
Paul Reynaud 5 June 1940 16 June 1940

Vichy Regime

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Name from to
Paul Baudoin 16 June 1940 28 October 1940
Pierre Laval 28 October 1940 13 December 1940
Pierre Étienne Flandin 13 December 1940 9 February 1941
François Darlan 10 February 1941 18 April 1942
Pierre Laval 18 April 1942 20 August 1944

Free French Commissioners

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Name from to
Maurice Dejean 24 September 1941 17 October 1942
René Pleven 17 October 1942 5 February 1943
René Massigli 5 February 1943 10 September 1944

Fourth Republic

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Name from to
Georges Bidault 10 September 1944 16 December 1946
Léon Blum 16 December 1946 22 January 1947
Georges Bidault 22 January 1947 26 July 1948
Robert Schuman 26 July 1948 8 January 1953
Georges Bidault 8 January 1953 19 June 1954
Pierre Mendès-France 19 June 1954 20 January 1955
Edgar Faure 20 January 1955 23 February 1955
Antoine Pinay 23 February 1955 1 February 1956
Christian Pineau 1 February 1956 14 May 1958
René Pleven 14 May 1958 1 June 1958

Fifth Republic

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Name from to
Maurice Couve de Murville 1 June 1958 30 May 1968
Michel Debré 30 May 1968 22 June 1969
Maurice Schumann 22 June 1969 15 March 1973
André Bettencourt 15 March 1973 4 April 1973
Michel Jobert 4 April 1973 28 May 1974
Jean Sauvagnargues 28 May 1974 27 August 1976
Louis de Guiringaud 27 August 1976 29 November 1978
Jean François-Poncet 29 November 1978 22 May 1981
Claude Cheysson 22 May 1981 7 December 1984
Roland Dumas 7 December 1984 20 March 1986
Jean-Bernard Raimond 20 March 1986 12 May 1988
Roland Dumas 12 May 1988 29 March 1993
Alain Juppé 29 March 1993 18 May 1995
Hervé de Charette 18 May 1995 4 June 1997
Hubert Védrine 4 June 1997 7 May 2002
Dominique de Villepin 7 May 2002 31 March 2004
Michel Barnier 31 March 2004 2 June 2005
Philippe Douste-Blazy 2 June 2005 15 May 2007

Ministers of Foreign and European Affairs (2007–2012)

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Name from to
Bernard Kouchner 16 May 2007 14 November 2010
Michèle Alliot-Marie 14 November 2010 27 February 2011
Alain Juppé 27 February 2011 15 May 2012

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

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Name from to
Laurent Fabius 16 May 2012 11 February 2016
Jean-Marc Ayrault 11 February 2016 10 May 2017

Ministers of Europe and Foreign Affairs (2017–present)

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Name from to
Jean-Yves Le Drian 17 May 2017 20 May 2022
Catherine Colonna 20 May 2022 11 January 2024
Stéphane Séjourné 11 January 2024 21 September 2024
Jean-Noël Barrot 21 September 2024 Present

See also

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References

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  1. ^ (in French) 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

Further reading

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  • Feske, Victor H. "The Road To Suez: The British Foreign Office and the Quai D’Orsay, 1951–1957" in The Diplomats, 1939–1979 (2019) pp. 167–200; online
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