French diplomats break 'bond of secrecy' in strike over foreign ministry reforms

French diplomats went on strike Thursday to highlight a growing "malaise" within the diplomatic service that claims government reforms and job cuts are accentuating the decline of France's influence in the world.

French, Russian and American diplomatic delegations discuss the war in Ukraine at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France. AFP PHOTO / POOL - Kevin Lamarque

The discontent within France's diplomatic circles has reportedly been simmering for months – if not years – but exploded after the publication of a series of institutional reforms in the Foreign Ministry's official journal in April.

As requested by President Emmanuel Macron, the reforms include the creation of a new corps of civil servants and propose that senior officials no longer be attached to a specific administrative department within the ministry, but are instead reshuffled regularly throughout their career.

For diplomats – some 700 of whom will be directly impacted by the reform – this means the amalgamation and gradual "phasing out" of two historical pillars of French diplomacy: plenipotentiary ambassadors and foreign affairs advisers.

Many within the corps believe that this would herald "the end of professional French diplomacy", which boasts the third largest international diplomatic network behind the United States and China.

Embassy support for diplomats' strike

Six unions and a group of 500 young diplomats have called a strike on 2 June to protest the reforms – a move that is rare within the Quai d'Orsay, with the first and only such action taken in 2003. 

Meanwhile dozens of high-ranking diplomats have announced their support for the strike on Twitter in recent days under the hashtag #diplo2metier. 

"I will be on strike on 2 June to protest against the reform of the diplomatic corps and the continuous reduction of the means of our diplomacy," tweeted the ambassador to Kuwait, Claire Le Flécher.

Summing up the state of mind, the ambassador to Azerbaijan, Zacharie Gross, wrote: "French diplomats are devoted body and soul but are overworked, underpaid, under-equipped".

Les diplomates français sont compétents et dévoués corps et âme, mais ils sont aussi, surtout en Centrale :
- en sous-effectifs
- surmenés
- sous-payés
- sous-équipés
Le mouvement actuel est complètement justifié et mérite l'attentiion de nos autorités et du public. https://t.co/TijJ6nCVpF

— Zacharie Gross (@GrossZacharie) May 29, 2022

Diplomats 'marginalised' by government

In addition they believe the reforms will lead to "preferential appointments", the "deconstruction of careers" and a "crisis of vocation". 

The group of 500 also expressed their concerns in an article published in the French daily Le Monde about what they called a "vertiginous reduction in resources".

• Suppression of diplomatic corps could leave France without professional diplomats

Fifty percent of diplomatic posts have been cut over the past 30 years following decades of what they perceive as the "marginalisation of the role of the ministry within the state".

According to official figures, the Foreign Ministry employs around 13,500 staff.

Diplomacy is traditionally the preserve of the president, but Macron has been vociferous in his negative opinion of the diplomatic service, notably by denouncing alleged "deep state" machinations within the corridors of the Quai d'Orsay in 2019.

​​​​Strong French diplomacy needed in a world in crisis

According to one ambassador, who spoke on condition of anonymity: "Diplomats have a bad image, when in reality they are civil servants who are very committed to the running of the French Republic."

A solid diplomatic service is an essential mechanism that allows France to hold its rank, the ambassador adds: "But we feel discredited, we don't have the necessary means ... and you can feel it: what are the great successes of French diplomacy since COP21 in 2015? Nothing."

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Meanwhile newly appointed Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, has reportedly assured that she will engage in "quality social dialogue" with all trade unions representing the diplomats.

The industrial action, however, comes against the backdrop of a succession of international crises: Covid-19, the evacuation of Kabul, the war in Ukraine, the expulsion of French diplomats from Russia and the collapse of relations with Mali.