French Expats Have Dedicated Minister

French Expats around the world now have their own minister to represent their views and interests in French parliament.

London, UK (Pryce Warner International) July 1st, 2011 – David Douillet has been appointed to the newly established role of junior minister for French Expats. Previously an MP for Yvelines since 2009, Douillet is also a member of the Ile-de-France regional council.

With over two million French Expats around the world, the appointment is seen as a vital way of representing the interests of a large number of French citizens who otherwise would have little say in the political landscape of their country.

This marks the first occasion that a country has appointed a government minister explicitly to represent Expats and is in response to the increasing number of French nationals living abroad.

Starting in 2012, France will appoint 11 MP’s to the national assembly for Expats. With French parliament now helping to ensure the political contribution and participation of Expats, perhaps other countries will follow their lead.

British Expats would have good reason to feel slighted by this news as after a certain amount of years abroad they can no longer even vote in parliamentary elections, something that has long been a controversial issue.

While many claim that those that do not live in the country should not get a say in its political development, there have been notable instances recently where world war two veterans have come out to try change this law.

They and others argue that although they do not live in the country, they do retain financial interest in the country and of course have many friends and family there. In most cases Expats have also lived in the UK for long periods of time and so feel they should retain the right to have a say in the democratic process of their home country.

Though they do not have a dedicated minister, American Expats retain the right to vote in US elections for the rest of their lives and have several organisations set up so as to ensure their continued political participation.

With different nations having different numbers of Expats in various countries around the world, appointing a representative to government is likely to be a complex process. Perhaps the French example will lead more countries to adopt similar principles and help to make Expats around the world to feel less excluded from the political process in their home country.

David Harra, a Senior Market & Investment Analyst with Pryce Warner International Group, a Financial Services Company for Expats commented: “It is commendable that the French government have recognised the importance of Expat issues to the point where they have appointed a dedicated minister. Once they leave their home country Expats can often feel marginalised from their home countries political process and often the necessary laws to ensure their political and economic stability while living abroad are not properly in place. Hopefully this appointment will set a precedent for other government to ensure that their citizens living abroad are fairly represented and get the chance to have their views and issues properly addressed by their government.”

Pryce Warner International Group provide International Asset & Investment Management, Independent Financial Advice & QROPS Overseas Pensions.

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By: Aneil Fatania
Financial Editor
Pryce Warner International Group
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