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The Trump administration has despatched a letter to some massive French firms warning them to adjust to an government order banning variety, fairness and inclusion programmes.
The letter, despatched by the American embassy in Paris, acknowledged that Trump’s government order utilized to firms outdoors the US in the event that they have been a provider or service supplier to the American authorities, in line with an individual accustomed to the matter.
The embassy additionally despatched a questionnaire that ordered the businesses to attest to their compliance. The doc, which the Monetary Instances has seen, is titled “certification concerning compliance with relevant federal anti-discrimination legislation”.
The doc says “Division of State contractors should certify that they don’t function any applications selling DEI that violate any relevant anti-discrimination legal guidelines and agree that such certification is materials for functions of the federal government’s cost determination and subsequently topic to the False Claims Act.”
The paperwork seem to sign that the Trump administration is widening its marketing campaign in opposition to DEI to overseas firms after launching a crackdown in opposition to US media groups such as Disney.
A senior banker in Paris stated he was shocked by the letter. “It’s loopy . . . however every thing is now potential. The rule of the strongest now prevails.”
The French finance ministry expressed issues after a few of the firms concerned notified it concerning the transfer.
“This observe displays the values of the brand new US authorities. They aren’t the identical as ours,” stated an individual near France’s financial system minister Eric Lombard. “The ministry will remind his counterparts within the US authorities of that.”
The existence of the letter was first reported by Les Échos newspaper.
The extraterritorial transfer by the US comes amid heightening tensions between the Trump administration and Europe over financial and safety coverage as nation pivots away from its conventional allies, particularly on commerce and Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Trump this week imposed an extra 25 per cent levy on auto sector imports into the US and has elevated tariffs on European metal and aluminium imports. The EU is engaged on reciprocal tariffs in response, however has not but determined which merchandise to focus on.
Prime Trump officers’ perspective in the direction of Europe was solid into stark reduction this week when messages about US assault plans in Yemen have been leaked to American media. “I simply hate bailing Europe out once more,” vice-president JD Vance wrote in a Sign chat group. “It’s PATHETIC,” responded defence secretary Pete Hegseth.
France has not historically been a spot the place DEI programmes have taken root due to authorized limitations on the gathering of racial and ethnic information. Employers are usually not allowed to issue individuals’s origins into hiring or promotion choices.
However French firms which might be doubtlessly uncovered to the US calls for embrace aviation and defence teams, consulting suppliers and infrastructure firms. The FT couldn’t instantly decide which firms had acquired the letter.
In response to Les Échos, the letter concluded: “If you don’t conform to signal this doc, we’d be grateful in the event you may kindly present us with detailed causes, which we’ll ahead to our authorized division.”
