Autumn on Edge: France Faces a Season of Challenges
In light of this summer’s discussions and political positions taken, Prime Minister François Bayrou has acknowledged the virtual impossibility of his government surviving the debate in Parliament on budget bills this fall. He has therefore taken the initiative to set the timetable and will likely “leave before being pushed out.” Indeed, the almost certain scenario […]
AI for the Public Service Report
At a time when generative artificial intelligence is making lightning-fast inroads, the report on “Public services at the test of artificial intelligence”, which came out on July 3rd past, proposes a collective, cross-disciplinary reflection on the conditions for a responsible, controlled, and democratic use of AI in public services. The initiative was spearheaded by Émilie […]
French Resilience Bill: Will Local Authorities Change their Cybersecurity Practices?
In an opinion piece published in May 2025 in the public sector-focused publication Zepros Territorial, Anca Caruntu and Julie Quatresols weigh in on the proposed “Resilience” Bill, aimed at stepping up cybersecurity in France through the transposition of three major EU directives: NIS2 (network security), CER (critical entities resilience) and DORA (financial sector). The ambition […]
Pursuing Gender Equality: A Matter of Democracy and Efficiency
In an article published in Zepros Territorial, the number one news source for local authorities, Thaima Samman and Sabina Lindstedt look back at the findings of a study of regional HR policies promoting gender equality in the workplace conducted by the association Régions de France and Eurogroup Consulting and released last March. The current challenges […]
A week in Washington: Editorial by Thaima Samman
A week in Washington: Don’t look for a plan B, who knows if there was ever a plan A… Spending the week from April 7th to 11th in Washington DC meant taking part in the epochal transformation of the world order that began with Donald Trump’s return to the helm of the world’s largest […]
The European Union’s (EU’s) Retaliation Plan towards the United States (U.S.)
Executive Summary EU’s Strategic Priorities amid Transatlantic Trade and Security Tensions The EU’s key priority is to manage the eroding transatlantic relationship while preserving its security interests — particularly in response to the ongoing threat from Russia. At the same time, the EU must guard against becoming a dumping ground for Chinese goods, as […]
Preliminary analysis of the disqualification from running for public office of Marine le Pen, far right leader in the next presidential election
On March 31st, the criminal division of the Paris judicial court found Marine Le Pen, leader of the Rassemblement National (National Rally, far-right – RN), guilty in a graft case and barred her from public office for a period of 5 years, with immediate effect (meaning that an appeal will not have a suspensive effect). […]
AI: A pivotal moment for Europe – François Lhemery in Entreprendre à l’International (mars-avril 2025)
Two years ago, ChatGPT was virtually unknown. Generative AI became an instant hit. Today, two out of three French people use chatbot-type conversational agents. Just as businesses rushed to embrace the Internet 30 years ago, companies are jumping headlong into the AI race to stay ahead. While six in ten North American companies have adopted […]
France has a new Prime minister, soon a new government: but for how long?
Nine days after the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly which toppled the Barnier government, François Bayrou has been appointed Prime Minister by the President of the Republic. Aged 73, François Bayrou, a former teacher of literature and classical languages in his youth, is an old-timer in French politics, where for 30 years he […]
Barnier administration: can agriculture expect to see a major piece of legislation?
Cabinet Samman published an opinion piece in Zepros magazine, the leading media for elected officials and civil servants in local and regional authorities, on the proposed agricultural framework law, the examination of which could resume in Parliament in the coming weeks. The piece looks back at the movement of anger in the farming world […]