The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs () is the

ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...

of the

Government of France The Government of France ( French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...

that handles France's

foreign relations A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through mu ...

. 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. The Quai becomes the Quai Anatole-France east of the Palais Bourbon, and the Quai Branly west of th ...

, 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 repre ...

. 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 closely associated with that thing or concept. Etymology The words ''metonymy'' and ''metonym'' come from grc, μετωνυμία, 'a change of name' ...

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 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,

Catherine Colonna Catherine Colonna ( (born 16 April 1956) is a French diplomat and politician who serves as Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since 20 May 2022. Colonna previously served as Ambassador ...

, 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 International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

. 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 The secretary of state for foreign, Commonwealth and development affairs, known as the foreign secretary, is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom and head of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Seen as ...

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 The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

. All ministerial positions were abolished in 1794 by the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

and reestablished with the

Directory Directory may refer to: * Directory (computing), or folder, a file system structure in which to store computer files * Directory (OpenVMS command) * Directory service, a software application for organizing information about a computer network's u ...

. For a brief period in the 1980s, the office was retitled Minister for External Relations. As of , 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 Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (born 7 May 1976) is a Greek-French gynaecologist and politician who has served as Minister of State for Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since 2 ...

and

Laurence Boone Laurence Boone (born 15 May 1969) is a French economist who has been serving as the Secretary of State for European affairs in the Borne government, government of Prime Minister of France, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne since 2022. Boone’s fi ...

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)

Secretaries of State 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.
Official site of the Ministry of Foreign AffairsOfficial treaty database of France''Dictionnaire historique des institutions, mœurs et coutumes de la France'', Adolphe Chéruel, L. Hachette et cie, 1855
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ministry of Foreign Affairs (France)

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...