Forced French Compliance of DEI Policies

March 31st, 2025

Jana Schodzinski

On Saturday, March 29, the American Embassy in France sent a letter to companies in France, Belgium, and other EU states ordering them to abide by the Trump administration’s recent executive orders against diversity, equity, and inclusion. The letter, titled “Certification Regarding Compliance With Applicable Federal Anti-Discrimination Law,” pressures French businesses to either cut all programs that promote all DEI related ideals or provide a detailed explanation as to why. This follows the Trump administration’s purge of all federal DEI policy. However, the letter to France poses questions of exactly how far the president’s executive orders branch.

Though Trump’s executive orders only infringe on federal DEI programs, the letter claims that it also impacts “all contractors and suppliers of the US government.” It goes on to explain that a business' country of origin and operations is irrelevant to the orders. Though the letter was sent to numerous European nations with DEI policies, France was not compliant or responsive to the embassy’s warnings in the letter. In a statement, the French Foreign Aid Ministry replied, “American interference in the inclusion policies of French companies, such as threats of unjustified tariffs, is unacceptable.” The ministry went on to swear that France, along with the rest of Europe, will stand strongly in their individual policies and values.

The letter also details that each respective company has a five day deadline to respond. It is currently unknown how many companies the letter was sent to- however, the economy ministry has estimated that it is at least “a few dozen.” This, however, is but one of the many factors of the letter that has led to uncertainty. It is also questionable how specifically the Trump administration wants these companies to comply with their DEI policies, considering France has very few to begin with. French law does not legally recognize race or ethnicity, nor does it promote equality for women in businesses with 1,000 or less employees. Further, most affirmative action policies are illegal in France. But, perhaps the largest area of doubt concerning the letter is international authority. Christopher Mesnooh, an American business lawyer, states, “It’s not an official communication, much less a diplomatic one.” Further, he reassured that there are no requirements for French businesses to abide by US federal policy or labor law.