A French minister on Sunday accused US diplomats of interfering in the operations of French companies by sending them a letter reportedly telling them that US President Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives could also apply outside the United States.
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French media said that the letter received by major French companies was signed by an officer of the US State Department who is on the staff at the US Embassy in Paris. The embassy did not respond to questions from Associated Press.
Le Figaro daily newspaper published what it said was a copy of the letter. The document said that an executive order that Trump signed in January terminating DEI programmes within the federal government also “applies to all suppliers and service providers of the US Government, regardless of their nationality and the country in which they operate.”
The document asked recipients to complete, sign and return within five days a separate certification form to demonstrate that they are in compliance.
That form, also published by Le Figaro, said, “All Department of State contractors must certify that they do not operate any programmes promoting DEI that violate any applicable anti-discrimination laws.”
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The form asked recipients to tick a box to confirm that they “do not operate any programmes promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.”