Direction des Relations Economiques Ext‚rieures

DREE, located in the French Ministry of Economic Affairs, Finance and
Budget, is the main policymaking agency for export promotion and credit
activities. DREE oversees the activities of other agencies that provide
domestic and overseas export assistance, including the French Center for
Foreign Commerce (Centre Fran‡ais du Commerce Ext‚rieur, CFCE) and the
French equivalent of the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service (the Poste
d'Expansion Economique). DREE also coordinates France's interagency
position on trade issues, negotiates bilateral trade agreements, and
participates in the multilateral trade talks in the European Community and
the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

Within France, CFCE is the primary point of contact for export promotion
services, while overseas, the Poste d'Expansion Economique provides
promotional services to French firms. Through a network of regional
offices in France, CFCE counsels exporters and organizes overseas trade
events. CFCE also gathers and distributes trade information.