France’s foreign trade advisors will now serve five-year terms instead of three, and can be removed by a joint ministerial order rather than a prime ministerial decree under Decree No. 2026-736 published August 4, 2026, dalloz-actualite.fr reported.
The decree also bars anyone employed by an entity controlled by a non-EU foreign state from holding the unpaid post and adds a loyalty clause allowing revocation for positions contrary to French commercial interests or diplomatic policy.
The changes modify the 2010 decree that defines the advisors as correspondents to the economy, foreign affairs and foreign trade ministers, sharpening oversight of a network that assists French companies abroad and promotes France’s attractiveness to investors.
Ministers Gain Joint Veto Over Advisor Mandates
Under the new rules, ending an advisor’s mandate requires a joint order from the ministers of the economy, foreign affairs and foreign trade, after consultation with an advisory commission and allowing the advisor to present observations. Resignation is now acknowledged by an order from the foreign trade minister alone. Previously, both appointment and termination required a decree from the prime minister.
New Restrictions Target Foreign State Control and Speech
The decree introduces an incompatibility for anyone exercising functions for a legal person directly or indirectly controlled by a foreign state, excluding EU member states.
A Network Shaped by a Century of Ministerial Rivalry
The foreign trade advisors trace their origin to May 21, 1898, when a decree created correspondents for the commerce ministry and the National Foreign Trade Office to centralize market information for French businesses. The posts were reorganized in 1950 under Decree No. 50-66, then placed under the Treasury in 2004 when the Directorate of External Economic Relations disappeared.
The 2010 decree formalized the advisors’ role as correspondents to the economy minister, a status expanded in 2021 to include the foreign affairs and foreign trade ministers. The mission to promote France’s attractiveness to foreign investors was added in 2013, and in 2014 Business France was created as the operational spearhead of this economic diplomacy, with one advisor representative on its 16-member board.
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe presented the foreign trade strategy at Roubaix that now guides the policy, embodied by Team France Export, which counts some advisors among its actors.
Honorary Mandates End in 2032 as Questions Remain
The decree converts honorary status into an active function subject to the same obligations as ordinary mandates, granted after ten years of service. Honorary mandates conferred before 2022 will expire on June 30, 2032.
Related reading