Paris!

To start the Paris section of the trip, here is the general city information from our GMF briefing materials:

Paris, France

Hotel:

Hotel Jardins de l’Odéon
7, rue Casimir Delavigne
75007 Paris
Phone: +33 (0)1 53 10 28 50/46 34 23 90 (contact: Sylvia Harrault)
Fax: +33 (0)1 43 25 28 12
Métro stop : Odéon

GMF Staff: François Lafond, Director, Paris Office
Edouard de Tinguy, Program Associate
GMFUS Paris Office
30 rue Galilée
75116 Paris

Taxis G7 (in English): 01 41 27 66 99

Please bring your agenda, metro and city maps at all time

We put down metro stops for your individual appointments and homestays (don't really stay but have dinner with a host family) but we recommend to use cabs.
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Dress : business at all time


About France

In brief… The political foundations of contemporary France go back to the 1789 revolution. France was a founder member of the EU and has been in the vanguard of European integration. The French economy, alongside the UK, is the second-largest in Western Europe and is around three-quarters of the size of the German economy.
Full name: French Republic
Population: 64.4 million (Including overseas territories, 2008)
Capital: Paris
Area: 551,670 sq. km. (220,668 sq. mi.)
Major language: French
Major religion: Christianity
Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
Main exports: automobiles and automobile spare parts, aircraft, pharmaceuticals, electronic components, wine, electric components
Per capita GDP at PPP (2006 est.):US $31,800.
Internet domain: .fr
International dialing code: +33

Political structure…The constitution of the Fifth Republic came into force in early 1959. The president (currently Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy) is elected by universal suffrage for a five-year term. Parliament comprises two chambers: the Senate (the upper chamber), members of which are elected by an electoral college and serve for nine years (with one-third retiring every three years); and the more important National Assembly (the lower chamber), to which deputies are elected by universal suffrage and which serves for a five-year term (although it may be dissolved by the president). The current government is a centre-right administration.

Policy issues…Medium-term challenges are to reduce the budget deficit and to make further inroads into the rate of unemployment, which remains high even by EU standards. This will require wide-ranging reforms to the country’s tax and benefits system, to public administration and to the legal framework for the labour market, to which social resistance will be high.

On Sunday 29 May 2005, the French voted against the draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (54 % of the French voted “no” at the referendum)

In 2007, the French presidential election was the ninth such election of the Fifth French Republic. Nicolas Sarkozy, from the ruling, conservative UMP, won a decisive victory in the second round of the presidential election (May 2007). He gained 53% of the vote, finishing six points ahead of his Socialist rival, Ségolène Royal. The former Interior Minister has promised pro-market reforms that are in the process: to tackle sluggish economic growth and high unemployment, to cut taxes and rein in powerful trades unions. During his first year and a half in office, Sarkozy eliminated income taxes on overtime hours, lengthened the contribution period for retirees to receive full pensions, and established a "minimum service" requirement on strike days, among other reforms. He also completed a major revision of the French constitution, which made the president more accountable to Parliament and strengthened the power of the legislature. French and EU analysts stress that longer-term reform measures must focus on reducing the future burden of ballooning public pension and health care budgets, as well as reducing labor-related taxes.

Economy… With a GDP of $2.5 trillion, France is the sixth-largest economy. It has substantial agricultural resources, a large industrial base, and a highly skilled work force. A dynamic services sector accounts for an increasingly large share of economic activity and is responsible for nearly all job creation in recent years. Real GDP increased 2.1% in 2007. According to Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) projections, 2008 GDP growth will hit 1.8%.

Government economic policy aims to promote investment and domestic growth in a stable fiscal and monetary environment. Creating jobs and reducing the high unemployment rate has been a top priority. The unemployment rate in metropolitan France slipped to 7.5% in the first quarter of 2008 from 8.1% in the second quarter of 2007 when the government took office. France joined 10 other European Union countries in adopting the euro as its currency in January 1999. Since then, monetary policy has been set by the European Central Bank in Frankfurt. On January 1, 2002, France, along with the other countries of the euro zone, dropped its national currency in favor of euro bills and coins. Despite significant reform and privatization over the past 15 years, the government continues to control a large share of economic activity: Government spending, at 52.4% of GDP in 2007, is among the highest in the G-7. The government continues to own shares in corporations in a range of sectors, including banking, energy production and distribution, automobiles, transportation, and telecommunications.

In 2008, in a move to advance France's competitiveness, the National Assembly passed four bills introduced by the French government to modernize the economy and improve the labor market. In October 2007, under President Nicolas Sarkozy's impetus, overtime work beyond the 35-hour work week was exempted from income taxes and payroll taxes, a move to encourage work and to increase work time. Membership in France's labor unions accounts for approximately 5% of the private sector work force and is concentrated in the manufacturing, transportation, and heavy industry sectors. Most unions are affiliated with one of the competing national federations, the largest and most powerful of which are the communist-dominated General Labor Confederation (CGT), the Workers' Force (FO), and the French Democratic Confederation of Labor (CFDT).

France has been very successful in developing dynamic telecommunications, aerospace, and weapons sectors. With virtually no domestic oil production, France has relied heavily on the development of nuclear power, which now accounts for about 80% of the country's electricity production.

Foreign relations…France plays an influential global role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, NATO, the G-8, the EU, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the WTO, la Francophonie, and other multilateral institutions. Among NATO members, France is second only to the United States in terms of troops deployed abroad. The French took over the rotating EU presidency for July-December 2008, with a focus on immigration, energy, the environment, and European defense during their term. However, the 2008 French Presidency was complicated by the June 2008 Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, which meant to serve as an institutional solution to the functioning of an enlarged EU at 27 members. The other EU member states are continuing to ratify the Lisbon Treaty while searching for an acceptable solution for Ireland.

Foreign trade… France is the second-largest trading nation in Western Europe (after Germany). France ran a record-setting $90 billion deficit for the 12 months ending in May 2008. Total trade in goods for 2007 amounted to $1.162 trillion, over 45% of GDP, 63% of which was with EU-26 countries. In 2007, U.S.-France trade in goods and services totaled $99 billion. U.S. industrial chemicals, aircraft and engines, electronic components, telecommunications, computer software, computers and peripherals, analytical and scientific instrumentation, medical instruments and supplies, broadcasting equipment, and programming and franchising are particularly attractive to French importers. Total French trade of goods and services was $1.421 trillion in 2007.
Principal French exports to the United States are aircraft and engines, beverages, electrical equipment, chemicals, cosmetics, and luxury products. France is the eighth-largest trading partner of the United States.

US-French relations… Relations between the United States and France are active and cordial. Mutual visits by high-level officials are conducted frequently. Bilateral contact at the cabinet level has traditionally been active. France and the United States share common values and have parallel policies on most political, economic, and security issues. Differences are discussed frankly and have not generally been allowed to impair the pattern of close cooperation that characterizes relations between the two countries.

France is one of NATO's top three troop contributors. The French support NATO modernization efforts and are leading contributors to the NATO Response Force (NRF). France is keen to build European defense capabilities, including through the development of EU battle-group sized force packages and joint European military production initiatives. Defense Minister Morin supports development of a European defense that must complement, not compete with, NATO, which remains at the core of transatlantic security. French resistance, however, to efforts to reinforce NATO's reach beyond the North Atlantic region remain a source of contention.

France is a close partner with the U.S. in the war on terror. It cooperates with the U.S. to monitor and disrupt terrorist groups and has processed numerous U.S. requests for information under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty. French security and intelligence services have rounded up hundreds of extremists in the past year. The French judiciary has upheld the pre-trial detainment of the four French former Guantanamo detainees. France is a strong partner in multiple non-proliferation fora and is a key participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative. Through the "EU3" (France, the U.K., and Germany), France is working to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

France opposed the use of force in Iraq in March 2003 and did not join the U.S.-led coalition that liberated the country from the dictatorial rule of Saddam Hussein. Despite differences over Iraq, the U.S. and France continue to cooperate closely on many issues, most notably the global war on terrorism, efforts to stem the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and on regional problems, including in Africa, Lebanon, and Kosovo. On Iraq, the French agreed to generous debt relief for Iraq in Paris Club negotiations and have accepted the establishment of a NATO training mission there.

In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, France seeks robust U.S. engagement in the peace process. France is working to contain the Hamas-led challenge to the Palestinian Authority. President Sarkozy, like his predecessor, President Chirac, is committed to keeping France in supportive relations with Israel.

The U.S. and France have worked closely to support a sovereign and independent Lebanon, free of Syrian domination. The U.S. and France co-sponsored in September 2004 UNSCR 1559, which called for full withdrawal of Syrian forces, a free and fair electoral process, and disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias. In the wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February 2005, the U.S. and France reiterated calls for a full, immediate withdrawal of all Syrian troops and security services from Lebanon. France also co-sponsored UNSCR 1701 and was one of the leading countries in Europe working to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006 by committing 2,000 troops to UNIFIL-plus. Strong French backing led to adoption of UNSCR 1757 establishing a Special Tribunal for Lebanon to prosecute the perpetrators of the Hariri assassination and other killings of critics of Syria's interference in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Kouchner is working hard to help competing Lebanese political factions agree to a framework for governing the country in accordance with the country's constitution and free from external interference. France also participates in the U.S. Broader Middle East and North Africa initiative.

Trade and investment between the U.S. and France are strong. On average over $1 billion in commercial transactions take place between France the U.S. every day. In 2006 U.S. exports to France totaled over 24.2 billion euros and U.S. imports from France were valued at 37.1 billion euros. France is the eighth partner for total trade of goods (imports plus exports) and the tenth-ranked supplier worldwide to the U.S. and its 10th largest customer. The U.S. is France's third-ranked supplier and its fifth largest customer. There are approximately 2,300 French subsidiaries in the U.S., providing more than 481,100 jobs and generating an estimated $178 billion turnover. U.S. companies in France employ about 603,400 French citizens. The U.S. is the top destination for French investments worldwide.

Excerpts are taken from the U.S State Government and The Economist
Paris (city, France), city in north central France, the capital and largest city of the country (2 millions, but 11 millions with the metropolitan area). It is located in France’s Île-de-France region, on the Seine River, 370 km (230 mi) upstream from the river’s outlet on the English Channel.
Paris is world-famous for its beauty and charm, and for its long history as a center of learning and knowledge. Parisians call their city the 'City of Light.' People from around the world flock to the city to view its impressive array of monuments and museums, savor its cuisine, and relax in its sidewalk cafes and nightclubs. Paris is the political, cultural, and economic center of France as well as one of the most vibrant metropolises in the world. About 15 percent of France’s inhabitants live in the Paris metropolitan area. Paris is named after the Parisii, a Celtic people who settled on the city’s central island—the Île de la Cité—in the 3rd century bc. The city has since spread north and south of the Seine. The city lies in a depression. The highest elevation is 129 m (423 ft) at the summit of Montmartre in northern Paris.

Paris enjoys a temperate climate. Average daily temperatures are 20°C (68°F) in summer and 5°C (41°F) in winter. The city receives about 650 mm (26 in) of precipitation annually, spread evenly over the course of the year. Air pollution is high, caused predominantly by automobile traffic and aggravated by the city’s geographic position in a depression
(Encarta)

I took this picture of me looking out my window.