France slams US ‘interference’ in firms’ diversity programs

France’s Ministry of Foreign Trade on Saturday said US interference in the diversity and inclusion policies of French firms is “unacceptable.”

The ministry statement was in response to a letter sent by the US embassy in Paris to several French firms warning them against using diversity programs, a frequent target of the Trump administration.

“American interference in the inclusion policies of French companies, along with threats of unjustified tariffs, is unacceptable,” the trade ministry statement said.

“France and Europe will defend their companies, their consumers, but also their values,” it added.

Copies of the US letter were first published in French media late on Friday. It was apparently sent to some French companies currently doing or looking to do business with the United States.

It included an attached form, seen by several news agencies, that asked firms to certify that they “do not practice programs to promote diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI.

US letter orders French companies to comply with US-DEI ban

Such initiatives “infringe on applicable federal anti-discrimination laws” in the United States, the questionnaire says.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal DEI programs the day he returned to office for his second term as president.

The letter states that Trump’s order “also applies to all contractors and suppliers of the US government, regardless of nationality or country of operations.”

It is unclear how many French companies received the letter. They have five days to fill out and return the questionnaire.

French state officially doesn’t recognize race, ethnicity

French law bans the consideration of origin, ethnic group or religion in hiring practices. It also bans the collection of race-based data. It’s part of the state’s “color-blind” approach to secularism (called laicite in French), which holds that all French are equally French.

Rather, French corporate efforts to diversify their workforce focus more on gender and socioeconomic background.

For instance, France legally requires companies with more than 250 employees and significant turnover to have 40% women on their boards.

The country is now considered a global leader in women’s working environment and has the second highest proportion of women on corporate boards, after Iceland, in the world.