ESA Briefs AAPA on Mars Exploration Plans
Next month, the European Space Agency’s Schiaparelli module is scheduled to land on Mars, the first stage of a landmark mission to determine whether there is evidence of life on the red planet, a group of AAPA members learned on Sept. 14. The joint ESA-Russian Roscosmos project will pave the way for a second mission in 2020 to dig for life under the surface. If successful, the Oct. 19 landing…
AXA CEO Says Brexit is No Display of Leadership
Henri de Castries did not mince his words when speaking about the Brexit fallout to the Anglo-American press Association in Paris recently: “When you see two old Etonians (UK Prime Minister David Cameron and former London Mayor Boris Johnson) playing with their country this way, it doesn’t show a lot of leadership or vision. And this game has been played for purely internal political reasons.”…
French Deputy Is Appalled by U.K.’s Brexit Vote
The vote by British citizens in favor of the U.K. leaving the European Union has created a “ludicrous” situation, with the proponents of exiting the 28-nation group not seeming to have prepared a plan of action, the head of the Foreign Affairs Commission of France’s National Assembly told the AAPA. Speaking to over a dozen AAPA members in the commission’s meeting room on June 27, just a few days…
Israeli Envoy Reaffirms Need for Direct Talks With Palestine
Future discussions on breaking the deadlock between Israel and Palestine require a direct dialog without preconditions between the two states, and not a multilateral approach as favored by Palestinian leaders, Israeli Ambassador Aliza Bin-Noun told us on June 21. Speaking to 15 AAPA members over breakfast at the Israeli embassy, Ms. Bin-Noun reasserted Israel’s hostility to French-led attempts…
AAPA’s June Gala Was Another Big Hit
The 2016 AAPA Gala was another resounding success this year despite the showery weather that kept us indoors. Held on Tuesday, June 14, at the residence of our honorary co-president U.S. Ambassador Jane D. Hartley, it attracted 87 members and their guests over appetizers and free-flowing champagne and wine. U.K. Ambassador Sir Julian King, our other honorary co-president, joined in the…
France Honors Two AAPA Stalwarts
Two stalwarts of the AAPA have been singled out for distinctions by the French government. John Keating, AAPA president between 2012 and 2015, has been inducted into the Ordre National du Mérite with the rank of Chevalier. He was nominated for the award by Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. John, who is Irish, is a long-standing member of the AAPA. He has been part of its management team for…
Tax Professionals Brief AAPA On Intrusive U.S. Law
Tax professionals John Fredenberger and Delphine Brett-Ziller and Lucy Laederich, former president of the Association of American Residents Overseas (AARO), shared their expertise with the AAPA on a recent U.S. law that affects the financial affairs of Americans abroad and is making them rethink their US citizenship. They spoke to 25 AAPA members at an informal gathering with refreshments kindly…
AAPA Gets the Lowdown on Art Risks, Antiquities Theft
AAPA members and their guests now understand the illegal trade in cultural objects and the natural and human risks that owners of art works must address after meeting with senior insurance company executives and a senior police officer over breakfast for a panel discussion on May 25. The meeting was hosted by AXA Art, a division of leading French insurer AXA, in the Hotel de La Vaupalière, an…
PSA’s Car-Racing Boss Tavares Meets the AAPA
A dozen AAPA members now have a better grasp of CEO compensation, vehicle emissions standards, labor relations and how to pull a 200-year-old company from the brink of bankruptcy after meeting with Carlos Tavares, the fast-revving chief executive of Groupe PSA. Speaking at a relaxed breakfast at PSA’s Paris headquarters, Mr. Tavares revealed that he had been motivated by other factors than money…
Political Islam expert explores roots of jihad with AAPA
Five days before the March 22 attacks in Brussels, French political philosopher Olivier Roy told the AAPA that Islamic State is reaching its territorial limits and French jihadists are more a product of a generational revolt than a political struggle. Roy, a professor at the European University Institute in Florence, spoke to 25 AAPA members during a lengthy Q&A session on March 17 at Bloomberg’s…