21 Jan 2010
116th AGM and Ben Franklin Birthday Celebration

Over 280 AmCham members and guests gathered at the residence of U.S. Ambassador Rivkin for the 116th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Benjamin Franklin Birthday Celebration.   Members elected the Board of Directors for 2010 (see "News" below) and listened to speeches by re-elected President Jean-Claude Gruffat, the Ambassador and Christine Lagarde, Minister of Economy, Industry and Employment.  Mrs. Lagard... Read More

17 Nov 2009
Luncheon with Laurent Wauquiez, Secrétaire d'État à l'Emploi

On November 17, Laurent Wauquiez, Minister of Employment, addressed over 50 AmCham members at the Park Hyatt Vendome Hotel.  He compared the different economic recovery models in the U.S. and France, pointing out that France, with a rise in the unemployment rate of only 20-30% did far better than most countries.  This was possible largely because recovery measures were targeted at areas of immediate employment impact rather than funding consumption, and because automatic stabilizers... Read More

21 Oct 2009
Luncheon with Patrick Devedjian, Minister of the Recovery Plan

Patrick Devedjian, Minister for the Recovery Plan, addressed AmCham and Entreprise et Progrés members at a luncheon on October 21 at the Grand Hotel.  The Minister emphasized that, contrary to other countries, France elected to spend 75% of its recovery funds in 2009, so that it has been able to post the highest growth rate in Europe.  For this, France's centralized system, often a handicap, was an asset, since it allowed funds t... Read More

AmCham Board of Director Election at 116th AGM

On January 21, at the 116th Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the U.S. Ambassador's residence, AmCham members unanimously elected the 2010 AmCham Board of Directors. At a Board meeting preceding the AGM, also at the residence, Board members had elected the AmCham Executive Committee, as follows:  President - Jean-Claude Gruffat (Citi), Vice President - Rupprecht Queitsch (Marriott), Vice President - Francois Falque-Pierrotin (BNP-Paribas), Treasurer - Bertrand Pointeau (Bain), and Secretary - Martha Heitzmann (Air Liquide).  Francis Bailly, Immediate Past President, continues as ex-Officio Executive Committee member.

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114th Benjamin Franklin Awards Dinner Gala

The Benjamin Franklin Dinner, named after America's first diplomat, began in 1895 as an annual gala event.  In 1928 AmCham started awarding a Medal of Honor at the dinners to those who had been particularly supportive of its mission to promote trans-Atlantic economic relations.  Among the recipients have been French Presidents Paul Doumer and Albert Lebrun, Ambassadors Charles Bohlen, Pamela Harriman and Felix Rohatyn, and the CEOs of prominent companies such as American Express, General Electric, Axa, Eurodisney, IBM France, J.P. Morgan, France Telecom, Ford Motors, and United Technologies.  The 2008 recipient was Minister of Economy and Finance Christine Lagarde.

This year’s awards went to Maurice Lévy of Publicis Groupe and Frederick W. Smith of FedEx.

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2009 Bain-AmCham Barometre, Dossier de Présentation

Click here for the 'Dossier de Présentation' of the Barometer in French. It includes the evaluation, and an analysis of the results.

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Commerce in France, Winter 2009, Then and Now AmCham

The Winter 2009 Issue of Commerce in France is all about history of AmCham. Founded in 1894, AmCham has gone through many changes, and helped be a key leader in implementing American businesses in France. This issue highlights events and companies linked to our history while looking ahead to our future. For more about the history of Franco-American relations, go to our History section.

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U.S.-French Commercial Ties--The latest report from the U.S. Congressional Research Service

U.S. commercial ties with France are extensive, mutually profitable, and growing. With over $1.35 billion in commercial transactions taking place between the two countries every day of the year, each country has an increasingly large stake in the health and openness of the other’s economy.

France is the eighth largest merchandise trading partner for the United States and the United States is France’s largest trading partner outside the European Union. More than half of bilateral trade occurs in major industries such as aerospace, pharmaceuticals, medical and scientific equipment, electrical machinery, and plastics where both countries export and import similar products.

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