Background Notes: France

Released by the Bureau of European Affairs,
U.S. Department of State, October 1999

Official Name: French Republic

Profile

Geography

Area: 551,670 sq. km. (220,668 sq. mi.); largest west
European country, about four-fifths the size of Texas.
Cities: Capital--Paris. Other cities--Marseille, Lyon,
Toulouse, Strasbourg, Nice, Bordeaux.
Terrain: Varied.
Climate: Temperate; similar to that of the eastern U.S.

People

Nationality: Adjective--French.
Population: 58 million.
Annual growth rate: 0.5%.
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North
African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities.
Religion: Roman Catholic 90%.
Language: French.
Education: Years compulsory--10. Literacy--99%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--7/1,000.
Work force (25 million): Services--66%. Industry and
commerce--28%. Agriculture--6%.

Government

Type: Republic.
Constitution: September 28, 1958.
Branches: Executive--president (chief of state); prime minister
(head of government).
Legislative--bicameral Parliament (577-member National
Assembly, 319-member Senate). Judicial--Court of Cassation
(civil and criminal law), Council of State (administrative
court), Constitutional Council (constitutional law).
Subdivisions: 22 administrative regions containing 96
departments (metropolitan France). Four overseas departments
(Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, and Reunion); five
overseas territories (New Caledonia, French Polynesia,
Wallis and Futuna Islands, and French Southern and Antarctic
Territories); and two special status territories (Mayotte
and St. Pierre and Miquelon).
Political parties: Rally for the Republic
(Gaullists/conservatives); Union for French Democracy (a
center-right conglomerate of 5 parties: Democratic Force,
Republican Party, and Radical Party are the three major
components.) Socialist Party; Communist Party; National
Front; Greens; Ecology Generation; various minor parties.
Suffrage: Universal at 18.

Economy

GDP: $1.4 trillion.
Avg. annual growth rate: 3.2%.
Per capita GDP: $23,000.
Agriculture: Products--grains (wheat, barley, corn); wines
and spirits; dairy products; sugarbeets; oilseeds; meat and
poultry; fruits and vegetables.
Industry: Types--aircraft, electronics, transportation,
textiles, clothing, food processing, chemicals, machinery,
steel.
Trade (est.): Exports--$305 billion: chemicals, electronics,
automobiles, automobile spare parts, machinery, aircraft,
foodstuffs. Imports--$286 billion: crude petroleum,
electronics, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, automobile
spare parts. Major trading partners--EU, U.S., Japan.

PEOPLE

Since prehistoric times, France has been a crossroads of
trade, travel, and invasion. Three basic European ethnic
stocks--Celtic, Latin, and Teutonic (Frankish)--have blended
over the centuries to make up its present population.
France's birth rate was among the highest in Europe from
1945 until the late 1960s. Since then, its birth rate has
fallen but remains higher than that of most other west
European countries. Traditionally, France has had a high
level of immigration. About 90% of the people are Roman
Catholic, less than 2% are Protestant, and about 1% are
Jewish. More than 1 million Muslims immigrated in the 1960s
and early 1970s from North Africa, especially Algeria. At
the end of 1994, there were about 4 million persons of
Muslim descent living in France.

Education is free, beginning at age 2, and mandatory between
ages 6 and 16. The public education system is highly
centralized. Private education is primarily Roman Catholic.
Higher education in France began with the founding of the
University of Paris in 1150. It now consists of 69
universities and special schools, such as the Grandes
Ecoles, technical colleges, and vocational training
institutions.

The French language derives from the vernacular Latin spoken
by the Romans in Gaul, although it includes many Celtic and
Germanic words. French has been an international language
for centuries and is a common second language throughout the
world. It is one of five official languages at the United
Nations. In Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the West Indies,
French has been a unifying factor, particularly in those
countries where it serves as the only common language among
a variety of indigenous languages and dialects.

HISTORY

France was one of the earliest countries to progress from
feudalism into the era of the nation-state. Its monarchs
surrounded themselves with capable ministers, and French
armies were among the most innovative, disciplined, and
professional of their day.

During the reign of Louis XIV (1643-1715), France was the
dominant power in Europe. But overly ambitious projects and
military campaigns of Louis and his successors led to
chronic financial problems in the 18th century.
Deteriorating economic conditions and popular resentment
against the complicated system of privileges granted the
nobility and clerics were among the principal causes of the
French Revolution (1789-94).

Although the revolutionaries advocated republican and
egalitarian principles of government, France reverted to
forms of absolute rule or constitutional monarchy four
times--the Empire of Napoleon, the Restoration of Louis
XVIII, the reign of Louis-Philippe, and the Second Empire of
Napoleon III. After the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the
Third Republic was established and lasted until the military
defeat of 1940.

World War I (1914-18) brought great losses of troops and
materiel. In the 1920s, France established an elaborate
system of border defenses (the Maginot Line) and alliances
to offset resurgent German strength.

France was defeated early in World War II, however, and
occupied in June 1940. The German victory left the French
groping for a new policy and new leadership suited to the
circumstances. On July 10, 1940, the Vichy government was
established. Its senior leaders acquiesced in the plunder of
French resources, as well as the sending of French forced
labor to Germany; in doing so, they claimed they hoped to
preserve at least some small amount of French sovereignty.

The German occupation proved quite costly, however, as a
full one-half of France's public sector revenue was
appropriated by Germany. After 4 years of occupation and
strife, Allied forces liberated France in 1944. A bitter
legacy carries over to the present day.

France emerged from World War II to face a series of new
problems. After a short period of provisional government
initially led by Gen. Charles de Gaulle, the Fourth Republic
was set up by a new constitution and established as a
parliamentary form of government controlled by a series of
coalitions. The mixed nature of the coalitions and a
consequent lack of agreement on measures for dealing with
Indochina and Algeria caused successive cabinet crises and
changes of government.

Finally, on May 13, 1958, the government structure collapsed
as a result of the tremendous opposing pressures generated
in the divisive Algerian issue. A threatened coup led the
Parliament to call on General de Gaulle to head the
government and prevent civil war. He became prime minister
in June 1958 (at the beginning of the Fifth Republic) and
was elected president in December of that year.

Seven years later, in an occasion marking the first time in
the 20th century that the people of France went to the polls
to elect a president by direct ballot, de Gaulle won
re-election with a 55% share of the vote, defeating Francois
Mitterrand. In April 1969, President de Gaulle's government
conducted a national referendum on the creation of 21
regions with limited political powers. The government's
proposals were defeated, and de Gaulle subsequently
resigned.

Succeeding him as president of France have been Gaullist
Georges Pompidou (1969-74), Independent Republican Valery
Giscard d'Estaing (1974-81), Socialist Francois Mitterrand
(1981-95), and neo-Gaullist Jacques Chirac (elected in
spring 1995).

While France continues to revere its rich history and
independence, French leaders are increasingly tying the
future of France to the continued development of the
European Union. During President Mitterrand's tenure, he
stressed the importance of European integration and
advocated the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty on
European economic and political union, which France's
electorate narrowly approved in September 1992.

Current President Jacques Chirac assumed office May 17,
1995, after a campaign focused on the need to combat
France's stubbornly high unemployment rate. The center of
domestic attention soon shifted, however, to the economic
reform and belt-tightening measures required for France to
meet the criteria for Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) laid
out by the Maastricht Treaty. In late 1995, France
experienced its worst labor unrest in at least a decade, as
employees protested government cutbacks. On the foreign and
security policy front, Chirac took a more assertive approach
to protecting French peacekeepers in the former Yugoslavia
and helped promote the peace accords negotiated in Dayton
and signed in Paris in December 1995. The French have been
one of the strongest supporters of NATO and EU policy in
Kosovo and the Balkans.

GOVERNMENT

The constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by
public referendum on September 28, 1958. It greatly
strengthened the authority of the executive in relation to
parliament. Under the constitution, the president is elected
directly for a 7-year term. Presidential arbitration assures
regular functioning of the public powers and the continuity
of the state. The president names the prime minister,
presides over the cabinet, commands the armed forces, and
concludes treaties.

The president may submit questions to a national referendum
and can dissolve the National Assembly. In certain emergency
situations, the president may assume full powers. Besides
the president, the other main component of France's
executive branch is the cabinet. Headed by the prime
minister, who is the nominal head of government, the cabinet
is composed of a varying number of ministers,
ministers-delegates, and secretaries of state. Parliament
meets for one 9-month session each year. Under special
circumstances an additional session can be called by the
president. Although parliamentary powers are diminished from
those existing under the Fourth Republic, the National
Assembly can still cause a government to fall if an absolute
majority of the total Assembly membership votes to censure.

The National Assembly is the principal legislative body. Its
deputies are directly elected to 5-year terms, and all seats
are voted on in each election. Senators are chosen by an
electoral college for 9-year terms, and one-third of the
Senate is renewed every 3 years. The Senate's legislative
powers are limited; the National Assembly has the last word
in the event of a disagreement between the two houses. The
government has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of
Parliament. The government also can link its life to any
legislative text, and unless a motion of censure is
introduced and voted, the text is considered adopted without
a vote.

The most distinctive feature of the French judicial system
is that it is divided into the Constitutional Council and
the Council of State. The Constitutional Council examines
legislation and decides whether it conforms to the
constitution. Unlike the U.S. Supreme Court, it considers
only legislation that is referred to it by Parliament, the
prime minister, or the president; moreover, it considers
legislation before it is promulgated. The Council of State
has a separate function from the Constitutional Council and
provides recourse to individual citizens who have claims
against the administration.

Traditionally, decisionmaking in France has been highly
centralized, with each of France's departments headed by a
prefect appointed by the central government. In 1982, the
national government passed legislation to decentralize
authority by giving a wide range of administrative and
fiscal powers to local elected officials. In March
1986,regional councils were directly elected for the first
time, and the process of decentralization continues, albeit
at a slow pace.

Principal Government Officials

President--Jacques Chirac
Prime Minister--Lionel Jospin
Ambassador to the United States--Francois Bujon de l'Estang
Ambassador to the United Nations--Alain Dejammet

France maintains an embassy in the U.S. at 4101 Reservoir
Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20007 (tel. 202-944-6000).

POLITICAL CONDITIONS

During his first 2 years in office, President Chirac's prime
minister was Alain Juppe, who served contemporaneously as
leader of Chirac's neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR)
party. Chirac and Juppe benefited from a very large, if
rather unruly, majority in the National Assembly (470 out of
577 seats). Mindful that the government might have to take
politically costly decisions in advance of the legislative
elections planned for spring 1998 in order to ensure France
met the Maastricht criteria for the single European
currency, Chirac decided in April 1997 to call early
elections. The Left, however, led by Socialist Party leader
Lionel Jospin, whom Chirac defeated in the 1995 presidential
race, unexpectedly won a solid National Assembly majority
(319 seats, with 289 required for an absolute majority) in
the two rounds of balloting, which took place May 25 and
June 1,1997. President Chirac named Jospin prime minister on
June 2, and Jospin went on to form a government composed
primarily of Socialist ministers, along with some ministers
from allied parties of the Left, such as the Communists and
the Greens. Jospin stated his support for continued European
integration and his intention to keep France on the path of
toward Economic and Monetary Union, albeit with greater
attention to social concerns.

The tradition in periods of "cohabitation" (president of one
party, prime minister of another) is for the president to
exercise the primary role in foreign and security policy,
with the dominant role in domestic policy falling to the
prime minister and his government. Jospin stated, however,
that he would not a priori leave any domain exclusively to
the president.

Chirac and Jospin have worked together, for the most part,
in the foreign affairs field with representatives of the
presidency and the government pursuing a single, agreed
French policy. The current "cohabitation" arrangement is the
longest-lasting in the history of the Fifth Republic.

ECONOMY

With a GDP of $1.4 trillion, France is the fourth-largest
Western industrialized economy. It has substantial
agricultural resources, a large industrial base, and a
highly skilled work force. A dynamic services sector
accounts for an increasingly large share of economic
activity (72% in 1997) and is responsible for nearly all job
creation in recent years. GDP growth averaged 2% between
1994 and 1998, with 3.2% recorded in 1998.

Government economic policy aims to promote investment and
domestic growth in a stable fiscal and monetary environment.
Creating jobs and reducing the high unemployment rate has
been a top priority. The Government of France has
successfully reduced a double digit unemployment rate in
excess of 10% to 9.8% recently. France joined 10 other
European Union countries in adopting the euro as its
currency in January 1999. Henceforth, monetary policy will
be set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt.

Despite significant reform and privatization over the past
15 years, the government continues to control a large share
of economic activity: Government spending, at 54.2% of GDP
in 1998, is the highest in the G-7. Regulation of labor and
product markets is pervasive. The government continues to
own shares in corporations in a range of sectors, including
banking, energy production and distribution, automobiles,
transportation, and telecommunications.

Legislation passed in 1998 will shorten the legal workweek
from 39 to 35 hours effective January 1, 2000. A key
objective of the legislation is to encourage job creation,
for which significant new subsidies will be made available.
It is difficult to assess the impact of workweek reduction
on growth and jobs since many of the key economic parameters
(such as the impact on labor costs and company's ability to
reorganize work schedules) will depend on the outcome of
labor-management negotiations which should extend through
2000 and beyond.

France has been very successful in developing dynamic
telecommunications, aerospace, and weapons sectors.  With
virtually no domestic oil production, France has relied
heavily on the development of nuclear power, which now
accounts for about 80% of the country's electricity
production. Nuclear waste is stored on site at reprocessing
facilities.

Membership in France's labor unions accounts for less than
10% of the private sector workforce and is concentrated in
the manufacturing, transportation, and heavy industry
sectors. Most unions are affiliated with one of the
competing national federations, the largest and most
powerful of which are the communist-dominated General Labor
Confederation, the Workers' Force, and the French Democratic
Confederation of Labor.

Trade

France is the second-largest trading nation in Western
Europe (after Germany). Its foreign trade balance for goods
has been in surplus since 1992, reaching $25.4 billion in
1998. Total trade for 1998 amounted to $730 billion, or 50%
of GDP (imports plus exports of goods and services). Trade
with European Union (EU) countries accounts for 60% of
French trade.

In 1998, U.S.-France trade totaled about $47 billion (goods
only). According to French trade data, U.S. exports
accounted for 8.7% (about $25 billion) of France's total
imports. U.S. industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines,
electronic components, telecommunications, computer
software, computers and peripherals, analytical and
scientific instrumentation, medical instruments and
supplies, broadcasting equipment, and programming and
franchising are particularly attractive to French importers.

Principal French exports to the United States are aircraft
and engines, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals,
cosmetics, and luxury products.

Agriculture

France is the European Union's leading agricultural
producer, accounting for about one-third of all agricultural
land within the EU. Northern France is characterized by
large wheat farms. Dairy products, pork, poultry, and apple
production are concentrated in the Western region. Beef
production is located in central France, while the
production of fruits, vegetables, and wine ranges from
central to southern France. France is a large producer of
many agricultural products and is currently expanding its
forestry and fishery industries. The implementation of the
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Uruguay Round of
the GATT Agreement have resulted in reforms in the
agricultural sector of the economy.

France is the world's second-largest agricultural producer,
after the United States. However, the destination of 70% of
its exports are other EU member states. Wheat, beef, pork,
poultry, and dairy products are the principal exports. The
United States, although the second-largest exporter to
France, faces stiff competition from domestic production,
other EU member states, and other third countries. U.S.
agricultural exports to France, totaling some $600 million
annually, consist primarily of soybeans and products, feeds
and fodders, seafood, and consumer oriented products,
especially snack foods and nuts. French exports to the
United States are mainly cheese, processed products and
wine. They amount to more than $900 million annually.

FOREIGN RELATIONS

A charter member of the United Nations, France holds one of
the permanent seats in the Security Council and is a member
of most of its specialized and related agencies.

Europe

France is a leader in Western Europe because of its size,
location, strong economy, membership in European
organizations, strong military posture, and energetic
diplomacy. France generally has worked to strengthen the
global economic and political influence of the EU and its
role in common European defense. It views Franco-German
cooperation and the development of a European Security and
Defense Identity (ESDI) as the foundation of efforts to
enhance European security.

Middle East

France supports the Middle East Peace Process as revitalized
by the 1991 Madrid peace conference. In this context, France
backed the establishment of a Palestinian homeland and the
withdrawal of Israel from all occupied territories.
Recognizing the need for a comprehensive peace agreement,
France supports the involvement of all Arab parties and
Israel in a multilateral peace process. France has been
active in promoting a regional economic dialogue and has
played an active role in providing assistance to the
Palestinian Authority.

Africa

France plays a significant role in Africa, especially in its
former colonies, through extensive aid programs, commercial
activities, military agreements, and cultural impact. In
those former colonies where the French presence remains
important, France contributes to political, military, and
social stability.

Asia

France has extensive political and commercial relations with
Asian countries, including China, Japan and Southeast Asia
as well as an increasing presence in regional fora. France
was instrumental in launching the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
process which could eventually emerge as a competitor to
APEC. France is seeking to broaden its commercial presence
in China and will pose a competitive challenge to U.S.
business, particularly in aerospace, high-tech and luxury
markets. In Southeast Asia, France was an architect of the
Paris Accords, which ended the conflict in Cambodia.

Latin America

France supports strengthening democratic institutions in
Latin America. It supports the ongoing efforts to restore
democracy to Haiti and seeks to expand its trade relations
with all of Latin America.

Security Issues

French military doctrine is based on the concepts of
national independence, nuclear deterrence, and military
sufficiency. France is a founding member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and has worked actively
with Allies to adapt NATO--internally and externally--to the
post-Cold War environment. In December 1995, France
announced that it would increase its participation in NATO's
military wing, including the Military Committee (the French
withdrew from NATO's military bodies in 1966 while remaining
full participants in the Alliance's political councils).
France remains a firm supporter of the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and other efforts
at cooperation. Paris hosted the May 1997 NATO-Russia Summit
for the signing of the Founding Act on Mutual Relations,
Cooperation and Security.

Outside of NATO, France has actively and heavily
participated in recent peacekeeping/coalition efforts in
Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans, often taking the
lead in these operations.

France has undertaken a major restructuring to develop a
professional military which will be smaller, more rapidly
deployable and better tailored for operations outside of
mainland France. Key elements of the restructuring include
reducing personnel, bases, and headquarters, and
rationalizing equipment and the armament industry. French
active-duty military at the beginning of 1997 numbered
approximately 475,000, of which nearly 60,000 were assigned
outside of metropolitan France. The overall force is
expected to decline by approximately 25,000 per year through
2002.

France places a high priority on arms control and
non-proliferation. It supported the indefinite extension of
the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1995. After conducting
a final series of six nuclear tests, the French signed the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in 1996. France has
implemented a moratorium on the production, export, and use
of anti-personnel landmines and supports negotiations
leading toward a universal ban. The French are key players
in the adaptation of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces
in Europe (CFE) to the new strategic environment.

France is an active participant in the major supplier
regimes designed to restrict transfer of technologies that
could lead to proliferation of weapons of mass destruction:
the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Australia Group (for
chemical and biological weapons), and the Missile Technology
Control Regime (MTCR). France has signed and ratified the
Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).

U.S.-FRENCH RELATIONS

Relations between the United States and France are active
and cordial. Mutual visits by high-level officials are
conducted on a regular basis. Bilateral contact at the
cabinet level has traditionally been active. France and the
United States share common values and have parallel policies
on most political, economic, and security issues.
Differences are discussed frankly and have not been allowed
to impair the pattern of close cooperation that
characterizes relations between the two countries.

Principal U.S. Embassy Officials

Ambassador--Felix G. Rohatyn
Charge d'Affaires, Acting--Douglas McElhaney
Minister-Counselor for Political Affairs, Acting--Sherwood McGinnis
Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs--Joel Spiro
Financial Attache--Stephen Donovan
Minister-Counselor for Commercial Affairs--Ken Moorefield
Counselor for Scientific and Technological Affairs--Anthony Rock
Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs--Lawrence Colbert
Minister-Counselor for Administrative Affairs--William Hudson
Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs-Miller Crouch
Defense Attache--Col. Jeffrey B. Jones (U.S. Army)

Consuls General

Consulate General, Marseille--Sam Brock
Consulate General, Strasbourg--Gayleatha Brown
Consul, APP Lyon--Stuart A. Dwyer

The U.S. embassy in France is located at 2 Avenue Gabriel,
Paris 8 (tel. [33] (1) 4312-2222). The United States also is
represented in Paris by its mission to the Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development.


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