Assembly of French Citizens Abroad
The Assembly of French Citizens Abroad is the political body that represents French citizens living outside France. The assembly advises the government on issues involving French nationals living outside France, as well as the role of France in overseas developments. Membership consists of 90 representatives elected among and by an electorate composed of all 442 elected consular representatives, across 15 worldwide electoral districts.
History
The issue of representation for French nationals abroad was first addressed in the French Fourth Republic. Three seats were allocated to the Council of the Republic, representing citizens residing in Europe, America and Asia-Oceania. In addition, there were four agencies based in Paris also representing French interests abroad: the Union of French Chambers of Commerce Abroad, the Federation of French Teachers Abroad, the Federation of French Veterans Residing Outside France, and the Union of French Citizens Abroad. The conflict between these organization and the National Assembly in appointing the three members of the Council of the Republic led to the decision to form an entirely new body to represent French citizens abroad.Foreign minister Georges Bidault signed the decree establishing the High Council of French Citizens Abroad in July 1948. The CSFE consisted of 55 members: the three Councillors of the Republic representing French nationals abroad, the presidents of the four organizations above, 42 elected members, and five members appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The first elections were held in 1970 in 70 countries.
Turnout in these elections suffered a decline from 1997, which prompted efforts to extensively reform the CSFE. It was renamed the Assembly of French Citizens Abroad. The proportion of elected members was further increased. In addition, the electoral boundaries were revised to account for the changing demographics of French nationals abroad.
Role
The assembly is tasked with protecting the interests of French citizens abroad on issues such as the teaching of French, rights as citizens, social and economic problems, and taxation. They advise the French government on issues concerning French nationals living outside France and the role of France in overseas developments. The assembly also appoints representatives to various public agencies in France, including the National Stock Exchange, Permanent Commission for Employment and Vocational Training of French Citizens Abroad, etc.The assembly meets four times a year. Bureau meetings take place in June and December, while plenary sessions are held in March and September.
Organization
Members
The AFE is composed of 90 members elected by universal suffrage from 15 districts around the world who serve six-year termsSecretariat
Day-to-day affairs are run by a general secretariat. The secretary general is appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.Committees
Members also join committees which prepare reports on specific issues which are submitted to the council's sessions. The permanent committees include:- Commission of Laws, Regulations and Consular Affairs
- Commission of Security and Protection of People and Property
- Commission of Education, Cultural Affairs, Worldwide Audiovisual and Francophonie
- Commission of Social Affairs and Military Veterans
- Commission of Finance, Budget and Taxation
- Commission of Foreign trade, Sustainable Development, Employment and Training
Elections
Elections to the assembly are staggered based on geographical location.The 90 elected seats are distributed among 15 electoral districts proportional to population. The districts are as follows:
| Country | Chief city | Seats |
| Canada | Canada | 4 |
| Canada | Montreal | 4 |
| United States | United States | 7 |
| United States | New York City | 7 |
| Latin America and Caribbean | Latin America and Caribbean | 7 |
| Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Bahamas Barbados Belize Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Grenada Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines El Salvador Surinam Trinidad and Tobago Uruguay Venezuela | São Paulo | 7 |
| Northern Europe | Northern Europe | 8 |
| Denmark Estonia Finland Ireland Iceland Latvia Lithuania Norway United Kingdom Sweden | London | 8 |
| Benelux | Benelux | 6 |
| Belgium Luxembourg Netherlands | Brussels | 6 |
| Germany-Austria-Slovakia-Slovenia-Switzerland | Germany-Austria-Slovakia-Slovenia-Switzerland | 11 |
| Germany Austria Slovakia Slovenia Switzerland | Geneva | 11 |
| Central and Eastern Europe | Central and Eastern Europe | 3 |
| Albania Armenia Belarus Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Georgia Hungary Kosovo North Macedonia Moldova Montenegro Poland Romania Russia Serbia Czech Republic Ukraine | Warsaw | 3 |
| Southern Europe | Southern Europe | 5 |
| Cyprus Italy Greece Malta Monaco Turkey Vatican | Rome | 5 |
| Iberian Peninsula | Iberian Peninsula | 6 |
| Andorra Spain Portugal | Madrid | 6 |
| North Africa | North Africa | 7 |
| Algeria Egypt Libya Morocco Tunisia | Casablanca | 7 |
| Western Africa | Western Africa | 4 |
| Benin Burkina Faso Cape Verde Côte d'Ivoire Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Senegal Sierra Leone Togo | Dakar | 4 |
| Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa | Central, Southern, and Eastern Africa | 5 |
| South Africa Angola Botswana Burundi Cameroon Central African Republic Comoros Republic of the Congo Democratic Republic of the Congo Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Equatorial Guinea Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Uganda Rwanda São Tomé and Príncipe Seychelles Somalia Sudan South Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Chad Zambia Zimbabwe | Libreville | 5 |
| Central Asia and Middle East | Central Asia and Middle East | 4 |
| Afghanistan Saudi Arabia Azerbaijan Bahrain United Arab Emirates Iraq Iran Jordan Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Uzbekistan Qatar Pakistan Syria Tajikistan Turkmenistan Yemen | Dubai | 4 |
| Israel and Palestine | Israel and Palestine | 4 |
| Israel Palestine | Tel Aviv | 4 |
| Asia and Oceania | Asia and Oceania | 9 |
| Australia Bangladesh Burma Brunei Cambodia China South Korea North Korea Fiji India Indonesia Japan Kiribati Laos Malaysia Maldives Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Mongolia Nauru Nepal New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Philippines Solomon Islands Samoa Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Tonga Thailand East Timor Tuvalu Vanuatu Vietnam | Hong Kong | 9 |