Meet Norway's New French Ambassador

1.Your excellency, you have just taken up your post in Oslo. Could you tell our readers about your career path? 

I’m an engineer (Ponts et Chaussées), also graduated from Sciences Po and ENA. A magistrate at the French Cour des Comptes, I have chosen to dedicate my career to European affairs : in Paris, I have heldseveral positions in various ministries and served, for example, as Deputy Head of Cabinet of the Minister delegate for Europe, as Financial advisor in the Prime minister’s office in charge of EU coordination (Secrétariat général des affaires européennes) during the 2008 French Presidency, and also in the Ministry for Economy and Finances (French Treasury and General Directorate for Entreprises). I have been posted abroad several times, twice at the French Perm Rep in Brussels, and in Stockholm as head of the economic services, with competence over the Nordic countries - where I certainly fell in love with them !  

Just before being designated as the French Ambassador to Norway, I have served, during four years, as Deputy Director for the EU at the French MFA - a position where you deal with « Brussels » affairs, but alsowith bilateral relationships between France and 37 countries. 

European affairs have always been, to me, an extraordinary and constantly renewed experience. Dealing with them means, basically, being on the political and technical frontline of a huge number of subjectsthat (almost always) require European coordination, from the management of geopolitical tensions and crises all over the world, to the reinforcement of the security and defence of our continent, the enhancement of our competitiveness, the fight for the environnement, the defence of multilateralism and the promotion of our common values.  

And European affairs bring you true moments of joy, such as the signature by the French President and the Norwegian Prime minister, in Oslo in 2025, of the strategic partnership that we, the teams involved atthe French MFA as well as the Embassy, had been preparing for months with our Norwegian counterparts. 

2. How do you see your mission as French Ambassador at a moment when Europe’s security, energy and technology agendas are being redefined? Where do you see the greatest potential for the Franco-Norwegian relationship over the coming years? 

There are three feelings that stand out to me : 

First, a feeling of emergency : as everybody can see, the world has changed and has become, in many ways, more unstable and uncertain. No European country can be guaranteed it can live, or keep on living, in a « comfort zone ». We must, collectively, adapt ourselves in all domains to this reality, and do it quickly.  

Second, a feeling of necessity : to face countless challenges, you need reliable partners, human skills and resources, and a strong, integrated and more sovereign european industrial base. In these difficulttimes, it’s better not to be alone. 

And, last but not least, a feeling of confidence : with the strategic partnership between France and Norway, we have, now, a framework that allows us to move forward together as privileged partners, to developconcrete projects that benefit us and that benefit Europe as a whole.  

It is my mission, now, to implement this partnership to its full extent. Three avenues seem particularly promising, as they also underpin our European agenda : security and defence, following up on the signature of the Narvik agreement in 2026 and Norway’s decision to join the forward deterrence initiative ; competitiveness and innovation, in fields such as energy, raw materials or space, and in sectors such as AI and quantum, that will be decisive for the future of our continent ; and, of course, defence of common causes such as environment, climate, multilateralism, and promotion of people-to-people relation in culture, education, languages, science, etc. 

3. The CCFN brings together some 150 member companies from both countries. What role do you expect the business community to play alongside the Embassy, and how would you like us to work together? 

The CCFN is an extraordinary institution, deep-rooted in a history of friendship between France and Norway, and a powerful network that contributes, every day, to an ever closer binding of our societies and oureconomies. I want, with the team at the French Embassy, to keep as close as possible a contact with the CCFN and all its members, as we will work, hand in hand, in the coming months, to implementingconcretely our strategic partnership. 

I have already begun to work with the CCFN, f.ex by participating in the Energy Committee organized by the Chamber in Bercy on 23 September, and I will, of course, also participate in the annual French-Norwegian Day organized by the CCFN end of October in Oslo.  

This will be a great opportunity for me to meet all the stakeholders, and I am looking forward to discussing in detail, sector by sector, what are the best and most promising avenues, to building operationalsequences based on concrete projects, and to communicating on what we have been able to achieve together - CCFN members do a great job, which certainly deserves to be - even more- better known./.