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The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (French: Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères) 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, Catherine Colonna, was appointed in 2022.
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, the office was retitled Minister for External Relations. As of 2024, it is designated as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs and occupied by Catherine Colonna, who is assisted by two Secretaries of State, currently Chrysoula Zacharopoulou and Laurence Boone.
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)
| 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 |
| Claude II de l’Aubespine |
8 July 1567 |
1570 |
| 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 |
Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (1718–1791)
| 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)
Consulate and First Empire
First Restoration and the Hundred Days
Second Restoration
| 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
| 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
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)
See also
References
Further reading
- 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
External links
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1 No diplomatic relations with France, functions as an informal diplomatic mission
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