US warns French companies they must comply with Trump's diversity ban

Reuters

29-03-2025

PARIS, March 29 (Reuters) - The Trump administration has written to French companies holding U.S. government contracts ordering them to comply with an executive order banning diversity, equity and inclusion programmes, two people familiar with the matter said.
The companies have been told to confirm their compliance in a separate questionnaire entitled "Certification Regarding Compliance With Applicable Federal Anti-Discrimination Law." Reuters has seen a copy of the questionnaire.
The documents will raise concerns in European boardrooms that the Trump administration is widening its fight against DEI overseas, at a time U.S. President Donald Trump's actions on tariffs and security ties have upended trans-Atlantic relations.
French business daily Les Echos, which first reported the existence of the letter late on Friday, said the missive had been sent out to firms by the U.S. embassy in Paris.
An embassy spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
An official close to French Finance Minister Eric Lombard said the matter would be taken up with the U.S. government.
"This practice reflects the values of the new U.S. government. They are not the same as ours. The minister will remind his counterparts in the U.S. government of this," the official said.
Reuters could not immediately identify which companies had received the letter. Defence and infrastructure companies were among those that risked exposure, media reported.
It was not immediately clear if similar letters and questionnaires had been sent to foreign companies in other European countries.
Trump has sought to eradicate DEI initiatives, which he and other critics say are discriminatory, from the government and private sector.