The Trump administration is targeting European businesses with its anti-DEI campaign.
According to reports, government representatives have written to businesses in France and the EU that have contracts with the US government, advising them that if they wish to maintain their contracts, they must abide by an executive order that forbids diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
The paperwork states that “Department of State contractors must certify that they do not operate any programs promoting DEI that violate any applicable anti-discrimination laws and agree that such certification is material for purposes of the government’s payment decision and therefore subject to the False Claims Act.”
A questionnaire requiring the corporations to attest to their adherence to federal anti-discrimination legislation was also included in the letters, which were sent by the US embassies in Paris and around the EU. The French business newspaper Les Echos was the first to report on the letter’s existence on Friday.
The letter was also distributed by U.S. officials in Belgium and eastern E.U. states, according to the Financial Times.
French businesses that may be subject to the administration’s requests include consultancy firms, infrastructure firms, and aviation and defense associations.
The action coincides with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s notification to Walt Disney and its ABC division that it will launch an inquiry into the media behemoth’s DEI initiatives.
The French finance ministry voiced worries over the U.S. government’s strategy, claiming that it does not align with French values. The move highlights the escalating hostilities between the United States and Europe, especially as the U.S. questions European policies like the invasion of Ukraine and threatens to impose tariffs on European commodities like wine and vehicles.
