Franco-British Council
| Formation | May 1, 1971 |
|---|---|
| Purpose | to promote better understanding between Britain and France and to contribute to the development of joint action through meetings of leading representatives of the worlds of culture, science, education, politics and business in the context of a developing Europe and of an increasingly globalised community. |
| Location |
|
| Website | www |
The Franco-British Council is an organisation created on the joint initiative of President Georges Pompidou and Prime Minister Edward Heath in order to promote better understanding between United Kingdom and France and to contribute to the development of joint action through meetings of leading representatives of the worlds of culture, science, education, politics and business in the context of a developing Europe and of an increasingly globalised community.
In Paris in May 1971 the British Prime Minister, Edward Heath, met the French President, Georges Pompidou, for the discussions to pave the way for Britain's entry into the European Community. At this meeting, they reflected on the way in which contact between the two countries could be widened beyond the existing official mechanism for the exchange of ideas and information between the two governments. They concluded that there was a need for a non-governmental body which could sponsor seminars and colloques between people of like interests in the two countries. These meetings should not be confined just to cultural or educational matters, but aim to cover all fields where the two countries shared common problems, or could benefit from a better understanding of the others position.
On 16 May 1972, during the Queen's visit to Paris, an official communiqué was issued announcing the establishment of a Comite d'lnitiative franco-britannique.
In 2013, the Franco-British Council celebrated its 40th anniversary with an event at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office called 'Making the case for Europe'. The event featured a speech by the Rt Hon David Lidington MP, the Minister for Europe, as well as his French counterpart, Thierry Renpentin. Mr Lidington praised the FBC for being an organisation "which has been working tirelessly for the past four decades forging links across the Channel."
...
Wikipedia