About FFA

The Czech National Committee of the Francophone Economic Forum is a member of the Paris-based International Bureau of the Francophone Economic Forum (Bureau International du Forum Francophone des Affaires - BIFFA).

There is more to Francophonia than France and its former colonies. Currently, the French-speaking community includes 65 countries across five continents, more than 600 million consumers, 17% of international trade and 10.5% of global output.

In 1999, the Czech Republic was officially granted observer status to the French-speaking community at a summit in Moncton, Canada. The Czech National Committee of the Francophone Economic Forum (ČNVFEF) was set up in January 2001 on the initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and in 2002 was officially granted observer status to the Francophone Economic Forum at a summit in Beirut. Its mission is to build commercial, industrial, cultural and political ties with all members of the French-speaking community and to strengthen the links between the Czech- and French-speaking communities.

The ČNVFEF plays an important role within the Francophone Economic Forum. With its strategic position in Central Europe, quality and diverse industrial base combined with highly competitive prices, the Czech Republic has the potential to help the developing Francophone countries to accelerate their economic growth and development. The ČNVFEF is an ideal base for industries and businesses from French-speaking countries that look for technical or industrial equipment, machinery, medical equipment, drugs, chemical products, etc. to be imported to their countries.

At the beginning of 2002, the ČNVFEF signed two memoranda designed to ensure the achievement of its ambitious goals. The first memorandum was signed with the minister of industry and trade of the Czech Republic and the second with the minister of foreign affairs of the Czech Republic. The reason behind this double partnership is to facilitate new growth and development of the already existing relations between the Francophone community and the Czech Republic.

The main areas of cooperation between the ministries and the ČNVFEF are as follows:

Supporting the foreign policy of the ČNVFEF.
Promoting the ČNVFEF abroad.
Coordinating activities of the ČNVFEF and activities related to the foreign policy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Participation of Francophone entities in major events held in the Czech Republic and abroad (especially trade fairs, meetings of intergovernmental organizations, participation in EU programs and helping the success of the ČNVFEF’s public relations efforts abroad).
Participation of Czech officials in regular meetings of all national committess at the International Organization of the Francophone Community and in other major events.