The Assembly of French Citizens Abroad (french: Assemblée des Français de l'étranger, italic=no) is the political body that represents

French citizens French nationality law is historically based on the principles of ''jus soli'' (Latin for "right of soil") and ''jus sanguinis'', according to Ernest Renan's definition, in opposition to the Germany, German definition of nationality, ''jus sangu ...

living outside

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. The assembly advises the

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

on issues involving French nationals living outside France, as well as the role of France in overseas developments. Membership consists of 90 representatives elected among and by an electorate composed of all 442 elected consular representatives (themselves elected directly by all 3 Million French citizens living outside of France), across 15 worldwide electoral districts.

History

The issue of representation for French nationals abroad was first addressed in the

French Fourth Republic The French Fourth Republic (french: Quatrième république française) was the Republicanism, republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of ...

(1946–1958). Three seats were allocated to the Council of the Republic (the then-upper house of Parliament), representing citizens residing in

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and

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. In addition, there were four agencies based in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

also representing French interests abroad: the Union of French Chambers of Commerce Abroad, the Federation of French Teachers Abroad, the Federation of French Veterans Residing Outside France, and the Union of French Citizens Abroad (UFE). The conflict between these organization and 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 repre ...

in appointing the three members of the Council of the Republic led to the decision to form an entirely new body to represent French citizens abroad. Foreign minister

Georges Bidault Georges-Augustin Bidault (; 5 October 189927 January 1983) was a French politician. During World War II, he was active in the French Resistance. After the war, he served as foreign minister and prime minister on several occasions. He joined the ...

signed the decree establishing the High Council of French Citizens Abroad (french: , CSFE) in July 1948. The CSFE consisted of 55 members: the three Councillors of the Republic representing French nationals abroad, the presidents of the four organizations above, 42 elected members, and five members appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The first elections were held in 1970 in 70 countries. Turnout in these elections suffered a decline from 1997, which prompted efforts to extensively reform the CSFE. It was renamed the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad. The proportion of elected members was further increased. In addition, the electoral boundaries were revised to account for the changing demographics of French nationals abroad.

Role

The assembly is tasked with protecting the interests of French citizens abroad on issues such as the teaching of French, rights as citizens, social and economic problems, and taxation. They advise the French government on issues concerning French nationals living outside France and the role of France in overseas developments. The assembly also appoints representatives to various public agencies in France, including the National Stock Exchange, Permanent Commission for Employment and Vocational Training of French Citizens Abroad, etc. The assembly meets four times a year. Bureau meetings take place in June and December, while plenary sessions are held in March and September.

Organization

Members

The AFE is composed of 90 members elected by

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...

from 15 districts around the world who serve six-year terms

Secretariat

Day-to-day affairs are run by a general secretariat. The secretary general is appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Committees

Members also join committees which prepare reports on specific issues which are submitted to the council's sessions. The permanent committees include: *Commission of Laws, Regulations and Consular Affairs *Commission of Security and Protection of People and Property *Commission of Education, Cultural Affairs, Worldwide Audiovisual and Francophonie *Commission of Social Affairs and Military Veterans *Commission of Finance, Budget and Taxation *Commission of Foreign trade, Sustainable Development, Employment and Training

Elections

Elections to the assembly are staggered based on geographical location. The 90 elected seats are distributed among 15 electoral districts proportional to population. The districts are as follows:

Composition

Members organize themselves into political groups. A minimum of 10 members is required to form a group. The assembly currently consists of five groups.

References

External links

Assemblée des Français de l'étranger
— Official site {{Authority control French diaspora Government of France Overseas French organisations