Emmanuel Macron wants to give pep to French diplomacy

Here is a birth announcement that must have made the Élysée cringe. Diplomats – including former ministers Dominique de Villepin and Michel Barnier – announced on Wednesday the creation of an association aimed at defending “strong and influential diplomacy”. In their sights, the reform of the senior civil service launched by Emmanuel Macron and leading to the eventual abolition of the two historic bodies of the Quai d’Orsay – in other words, civil servants from other ministries or from the private sector may be appointed ambassadors.