Overview

• The US Embassy in Paris sent letters to French companies requiring compliance with President Trump's DEI ban under Executive Order 14173 within five days.
• The French government strongly criticized the move, calling it an unacceptable intrusion into national corporate policies and values.
• The letters targeted companies with US government contracts, including firms in defense, infrastructure, and telecommunications, some of which do not operate in the US.
• Similar letters were reportedly sent to companies in Belgium and Eastern Europe, though German companies have not been targeted so far.
• France's Finance Minister plans to address the issue with US counterparts, highlighting a growing ideological and trade divide between the two governments.