Security – 12th meeting on the security of French businesses abroad (Paris, 18 January 2018)

Share

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State attached the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, opened the 12th edition of the annual meeting on the security of French businesses abroad this morning. On this occasion, he commended the commitment of professional associations and business clubs to the security of French citizens visiting or living abroad.

The Quai d’Orsay’s crisis and support center brings together every year more than 300 high-level officials from the private sector, civil society and the government to discuss security issues that can affect economic and business activities abroad. The goal is to collectively contribute to spreading a culture of protection that will allow French firms to operate abroad in the safest possible conditions.

This year, the work focused on three main areas: security challenges for 2018; the impact of the strategic environment on the business climate in East Asia; cooperation between the government and businesses in emergency situations. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne pointed out that “security is a chain which is only as strong as its weakest link” and underscored the following points in particular:

  • the need for anticipation, training and action in the face of increasingly complex risks;
  • the new challenges posed by information systems and their uses, which create new vulnerabilities in terms of security and economic intelligence;
  • the usefulness of support, notably from the major groups, for their partners and service providers;
  • the need for mutually supportive cooperation between private and public stakeholders.