“Influence through law” strategy

On 21 March 2023, at the 8th meeting of the steering committee for international legal and judicial cooperation, the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs presented the first French “Influence through law” strategy. The strategy was drafted jointly with the Ministry of Justice and aims to make the law a priority of France’s foreign policy, in line with the Roadmap for France’s Soft Power published in December 2021.

It is also fully in line with the goal of “re-arming” our diplomacy, as called for by the French President in his speech to close the French Foreign Service Review, led by Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna.

A strategy to serve French and European values, through law and in law

In the context of strategic competition across all fields, where the international order is sometimes called into question, law, as a tool for peaceful settlement of disputes, is becoming a new soft power tool. The “Influence through law” strategy aims to defend a rules-based international order as a guarantor of global peace and security that is needed to address global challenges.

Promoting the French legal model means promoting its values, including in work within international and regional legal organizations. Through the seven goals of its “Influence through law” strategy, France defends universal requirements, starting with human rights, and promotes an attractive model guaranteeing the rule of law and peaceful settlement of disputes.

Download the “Influence through law” strategy" (PDF - 78.1 KB)

March 2023