France and Monaco

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Political relations

Political relations between France and Monaco are close and have made major progress in recent year towards strengthening the sovereignty of the Principality, particularly since the signing of the treaty of friendship in 2002, with our Consulate in Monaco becoming an Embassy on1 January 2006. Three events illustrate this: the signing of the treaty of friendship in 2002; the signing of the administrative cooperation convention in 2005; and the establishment of diplomatic relations, with our Consulate in Monaco becoming an Embassy on 1 January 2006. We have strategic economic interests in Monaco because of the Principality’s role as a key employment hub (55,000 jobs), as well as diplomatic interests, as its influence is far greater than its size suggests.

Visits

Visits of Prince Albert II to Paris

  • 13 July 2008: Prince Albert II attended the Summit of the Union for the Mediterranean, in Paris.
  • 7 December 2012: Prince Albert II and the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, held a working lunch at the Élysée Palace.
  • 19 September 2015: Prince Albert II visited Paris for the Heritage Days (in the context of the tercentenary of the alliance between the Grimaldi and Matignon families). Meeting with Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

Visits of the President of the French Republic to Monaco

  • 25 April 2008: President Sarkozy made an official visit to Monaco.
  • 2 July 2011: President Sarkozy attended the wedding of Prince Albert II.
    14 November 2013: Official visit of the President of the Republic to Monaco

Financial relations

Financial relations with Monaco are based on the customs agreement of 1865, which gave rise to a customs union that was renewed on 18 May 1963 when the two countries signed a tax convention and exchanged official letters in the area of banking regulation. In 1999, Monaco was granted the right to mint euro coins with the Monegasque coat of arms, which are minted by the Hôtel des Monnaies de Paris. In 2001, a monetary convention was signed between Monaco and France (on behalf of the European Commission), introducing the euro in Monaco. French people who took up residence in Monaco after 13 October 1957 are required to pay French income tax.

Bilateral cooperation

The CCFM (annual commission for Franco-Monegasque cooperation) is co-chaired by the Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and by the Minister of State of the Principality of Monaco, and is the cornerstone of our very dense bilateral relations. The two most recent meetings were held on 31 May 2016 in Paris and on 26 January 2018 in Monaco. Discussions focused on Monaco’s moving closer to the EU, but also on health cooperation, economic issues of mutual interest (Monaco’s project to build a six-hectare land extension offshore) and even international issues. Our close relations are also structured around the meetings of three other bilateral bodies: the Commission for Local Cross-Border Cooperation between France and Monaco, which was set up in 2006 and reactivated in July 2013; the bilateral commission for monitoring the implementation of the social security convention (health issues); and the joint commission on tax matters (monitoring the implementation of the 1963 tax convention and in particular, the VAT-sharing system).

Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation

Monaco is party to the 1954 European Cultural Convention of the Council of Europe. French is the official language of Monaco, which also has a national language, Monegasque, which is compulsory for pupils up to the age of 13 and optional beyond that. Monaco uses the same education curricula as France. In addition, Radio Monte Carlo and Télé Monte Carlo broadcast French-language programmes. Monaco joined the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) when it was founded in 1970.

The Principality also offers excellent conditions for research. Many companies have established their research centres there (agrifood, plastics technology, cosmetics and pharmacology). In addition, the Scientific Centre of Monaco created in 1960 and dedicated to the protection of marine life is in charge of the Meteorological Observatory, which has two laboratories for or neurobiology and marine pollution studies. Lastly, Monaco participates in the “Horizon 2020” framework programme as a third country.

Updated: February 2019

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