The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs ( , MEAE) 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 for Europe and foreign affairs () is responsible for the foreign relations of France. The current officeholder, Jean-Noël Barrot, was appointed in September 2024. For a brief period from 1984 to 1986, the office was titled minister for external relations.
In 1547, royal secretaries 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; Charles Hélion Marie le Gendre Luçay (comte de), Des origines du pouvoir ministériel en France: les secrétaires d'état depuis leur institution jusqu'à la mort de Louis XV, Librairie de la Société bibliographique, 1881.l it was renamed Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1791 in the aftermath of early stages of the French Revolution. All ministerial positions were abolished in 1794 by the National Convention and reestablished with the Directory.
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 (CBCM) General inspection of foreign affairs (IGAE) The prospective office (DP) The Protocole, upon which the President's protocol cell relies The Crisis management Department (CDC)
Secretaries of State (1547–1723) Name from to Guillaume Bochetel, seigneur de Sussy 1547 1558 Côme Clausse, seigneur de Marchaumont 1547 1559 Claude de l’Aubespine 1 April 1547 1567 Jean du Thiers, seigneur de Beauregard 1547 1559 Jacques Bourdin, seigneur de Villeines 1558 1567 Florimond II Robertet, seigneur de Fresnes 1558 1567 Florimond III Robertet d'Alluye 1559 1569 Simon Fizes, baron de Sauves 22 October 1567 27 November 1579 Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy 28 October 1567 1588 Pierre Brûlart, seigneur de Genlis 8 June 1569 1588 Claude Pinart, seigneur de Comblisy and Crambailles 1570 1588 Louis de Revol 1 January 1589 17 September 1594 Nicolas de Neufville, seigneur de Villeroy 30 December 1594 9 August 1616 Armand Jean du Plessis, duc de Richelieu, Bishop of Luçon 30 November 1616 24 April 1617 Pierre Brulart, vicomte de Puysieux 24 April 1617 11 March 1626 Raymond Phelypeaux, seigneur d'Herbault 11 March 1626 2 May 1629 Claude Bouthillier 2 May 1629 18 March 1632 Léon Bouthillier, comte de Chavigny 18 March 1632 23 June 1643 Henri-Auguste de Loménie, comte de Brienne 23 June 1643 3 April 1663 Hugues de Lionne 3 April 1663 1 September 1671 Simon Arnauld, marquis de Pomponne 1 September 1671 18 November 1679 Charles Colbert, marquis de Croissy 12 February 1680 28 July 1696 Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Torcy 28 July 1696 22 September 1715 Nicolas du Blé, marquis d'Huxelles 23 September 1715 1 September 1718
Minister 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
Ministers of Foreign Affairs (1791–2007)
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 Name from to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, prince de Bénévent 22 November 1799 9 August 1807 Jean-Baptiste Nompère de Champagny, duc de Cadore 9 August 1807 17 April 1811 Hugues Bernard Maret, duc de Bassano 17 April 1811 20 November 1813 Armand Augustin Louis Caulaincourt, duc de Vicence 20 November 1813 1 April 1814 Antoine René Charles Mathurin, comte de Laforest 3 April 1814 13 May 1814
First Restoration and the Hundred Days Name from to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent 13 May 1814 20 March 1815 Armand Augustin Louis Caulaincourt, duc de Vicence 20 March 1815 22 June 1815 Louis, baron Bignon 22 June 1815 7 July 1815
Second Restoration Name from to Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, prince de Bénévent 9 July 1815 26 September 1815 Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, duc de Richelieu 26 September 1815 29 December 1818 Jean Joseph Paul Augustin, marquis Dessolles 29 December 1818 19 November 1819 Étienne Denis, baron Pasquier 19 November 1819 14 December 1821 Mathieu Jean Félicité, duc de Montmorency-Laval 14 December 1821 28 December 1822 François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand 28 December 1822 4 August 1824 Ange Hyacinthe Maxence, baron de Damas 4 August 1824 4 January 1828 Auguste, comte de La Ferronays 4 January 1828 24 April 1829 Anne Pierre Adrien, duc de Montmorency-Laval 24 April 1829 14 May 1829 Joseph-Marie, comte Portalis 14 May 1829 8 August 1829 Jules Armand Auguste Marie, prince de Polignac 8 August 1829 29 July 1830 Victor Louis Victurnien, duc de Mortemart 29 July 1830 Louis, baron Bignon 31 July 1830 1 August 1830
July Monarchy Name from to Jean-Baptiste, comte Jourdan 1 August 1830 11 August 1830 Louis, comte Molé 11 August 1830 2 November 1830 Nicolas Joseph, marquis Maison 2 November 1830 17 November 1830 Horace François Bastien, baron Sébastiani 17 November 1830 11 October 1832 Victor, duc de Broglie 11 October 1832 4 April 1834 Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny 4 April 1834 10 November 1834 Charles Joseph, comte Bresson 10 November 1834 18 November 1834 Henri Gauthier, comte de Rigny 18 November 1834 12 March 1835 Victor, duc de Broglie 12 March 1835 22 February 1836 Adolphe Thiers 22 February 1836 6 September 1836 Louis, comte Molé 6 September 1836 31 March 1839 Louis Napoléon Lannes, duc de Montebello 31 March 1839 12 May 1839 Nicolas Jean de Dieu Soult, duc de Dalmatie 12 May 1839 1 March 1840 Adolphe Thiers 1 March 1840 29 October 1840 François Guizot 29 October 1840 23 February 1848
Second Republic Name from to Alphonse de Lamartine 24 February 1848 11 May 1848 Jules Bastide 11 May 1848 29 June 1848 Marie-Alphonse Bedeau 29 June 1848 17 July 1848 Jules Bastide 17 July 1848 20 December 1848 Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 20 December 1848 2 June 1849 Alexis de Tocqueville 2 June 1849 31 October 1849 Alphonse de Rayneval 31 October 1849 17 November 1849 Jean-Ernest Ducos, vicomte de La Hitte 17 November 1849 9 January 1851 Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 9 January 1851 24 January 1851 Anatole, baron Brénier de Renaudière 24 January 1851 10 April 1851 Jules Baroche 10 April 1851 26 October 1851 Louis Félix Étienne, marquis de Turgot 26 October 1851 28 July 1852
Second Empire Name from to Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 28 July 1852 7 May 1855 Alexandre Colonna, comte Walewski 7 May 1855 4 January 1860 Jules Baroche 4 January 1860 24 January 1860 Édouard Thouvenel 24 January 1860 15 October 1862 Édouard Drouyn de Lhuys 15 October 1862 1 September 1866 Charles, marquis de La Valette 1 September 1866 2 October 1866 Lionel de Moustier 2 October 1866 17 December 1868 Charles, marquis de La Valette 17 December 1868 17 July 1869 Henri, prince de La Tour d'Auvergne 17 July 1869 2 January 1870 Napoléon, comte Daru 2 January 1870 14 April 1870 Émile Ollivier 14 April 1870 15 May 1870 Agenor, duc de Gramont 15 May 1870 10 August 1870 Henri, prince de La Tour d'Auvergne 10 August 1870 4 September 1870
Third Republic