Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The term Quai d'Orsay is often used as a metonym for the ministry. Its cabinet minister, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs is responsible for the foreign relations of France. The current officeholder, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was appointed in 2017.
In 1547, secretaries to the King became specialised, writing correspondence to foreign governments, and negotiating peace treaties. The four French secretaries of state where foreign relations were divided by region, in 1589, became centralised with one becoming first secretary responsible for international relations. The Ancien Régime position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs became Foreign Minister around 1723, and was renamed "Minister of Foreign Affairs" in 1791 after the French Revolution. All ministerial positions were abolished in 1794 by the National Convention and re-established with the Directory.
For a brief period in the 1980s, the office was retitled Minister for External Relations. As of 17 May 2017, it is designated as the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs and led by Jean-Yves Le Drian, assisted by two secretaries of state, currently Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne and Amélie de Montchalin.
Central administration
There are multiple services under its authority, along with that of some other ministers. Under the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, that of Cooperation and European Affairs, and that of Foreign and European Affairs, there are numerous services directly related to the ministers. Here is a list of those services.- The ministers' cabinet
- The office of cabinets, which gathers a personnel in charge of the administrative and logistics aspects of the three ministers' cabinets
- The budget control service
- General inspection of foreign affairs
- The prospective office
- The Protocole, upon which the President's protocole cell relies on
- The Crisis management Department
Secretaries of State (1547–1723)
Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs (1718–1791)
| Name | from | to |
| Guillaume Dubois | 24 September 1718 | 10 August 1723 |
| Charles Jean-Baptiste Fleuriau, comte de Morville | 16 August 1723 | 19 August 1727 |
| Germain Louis Chauvelin | 23 August 1727 | 20 February 1737 |
| Jean-Jacques Amelot de Chaillou | 22 February 1737 | 26 April 1744 |
| Adrien Maurice, duc de Noailles | 26 April 1744 | 19 November 1744 |
| René de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis d'Argenson | 19 November 1744 | 10 January 1747 |
| Louis Philogène Brûlart, vicomte de Puisieulx | 27 January 1747 | 9 September 1751 |
| François Dominique de Barberie de Saint-Contest | 11 September 1751 | 24 July 1754 |
| Antoine Louis Rouillé | 24 July 1754 | 28 June 1757 |
| François Joachim de Pierre de Bernis | 28 June 1757 | 9 October 1758 |
| Étienne François, duc de Choiseul | 3 December 1758 | 13 October 1761 |
| César Gabriel de Choiseul-Chevigny, duc de Praslin | 13 October 1761 | 10 April 1766 |
| Étienne François, duc de Choiseul | 10 April 1766 | 24 December 1770 |
| Louis Phélypeaux, duc de La Vrillère | 24 December 1770 | 6 June 1771 |
| Emmanuel Armand de Vignerot du Plessis de Richelieu, duc d'Aiguillon | 6 June 1771 | 2 June 1774 |
| Henri Léonard Jean Baptiste Bertin | 2 June 1774 | 21 July 1774 |
| Charles Gravier, comte de Vergennes | 21 July 1774 | 13 February 1787 |
| Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem | 14 February 1787 | 13 July 1789 |
| Paul François de Quelen, duc de la Vauguyon | 13 July 1789 | 16 July 1789 |
| Armand Marc, comte de Montmorin Saint-Hérem | 16 July 1789 | 29 November 1791 |
Minister of Foreign Affairs (1791–1799)
| Name | from | to |
| Claude Antoine Valdec de Lessart | 29 November 1791 | 15 March 1792 |
| Charles Dumouriez | 15 March 1792 | 13 June 1792 |
| Pierre Paul de Méredieu, baron de Naillac | 13 June 1792 | 18 June 1792 |
| Scipion Victor, marquis de Chambonas | 18 June 1792 | 23 July 1792 |
| François Joseph de Gratet, vicomte Dubouchage | 23 July 1792 | 1 August 1792 |
| Claude Bigot de Sainte-Croix | 1 August 1792 | 10 August 1792 |
| Pierre Henri Hélène Marie Lebrun-Tondu | 10 August 1792 | 21 June 1793 |
| François Louis Michel Chemin Deforgues | 21 June 1793 | 2 April 1794 |
| Jean Marie Claude Alexandre Goujon | 5 April 1794 | 8 April 1794 |
| Martial Joseph Armand Herman | 8 April 1794 | 20 April 1794 |
| Philibert Buchot | 20 April 1794 | 3 November 1795 |
| Michel Ange Bernard Mangourit | 3 November 1794 | 21 November 1794 |
| André François Miot de Melito | 21 November 1794 | 19 February 1795 |
| Jean-Victor Colchen | 19 February 1795 | 3 November 1795 |
| Charles-François Delacroix | 3 November 1795 | 15 July 1797 |
| Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord | 15 July 1797 | 20 July 1799 |
| Charles-Frédéric Reinhard | 20 July 1799 | 22 November 1799 |
Consulate and First Empire
First Restoration and the Hundred Days
Second Restoration
July Monarchy
Second Republic
Second Empire
Third Republic
Vichy Regime
Free French Commissioners
Fourth Republic
Fifth Republic
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs (2007–2012)
| Name | from | to |
| Bernard Kouchner | 16 May 2007 | 14 November 2010 |
| Michèle Alliot-Marie | 14 November 2010 | 27 February 2011 |
| Alain Juppé | 27 February 2011 | 15 May 2012 |
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development (2012–2017)
| Name | from | to |
| Laurent Fabius | 16 May 2012 | 11 February 2016 |
| Jean-Marc Ayrault | 11 February 2016 | 10 May 2017 |
Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs (2017–present)
| Name | from | to |
| Jean-Yves Le Drian | 17 May 2017 | Present |