Uber Lays Out its French Woes to the AAPA
14 stalwarts of the AAPA who met Uber France chief Thibaud Simphal on Feb. 24 came away with a better understanding of the controversy and legal battle being waged between the upstart digital economy car-riding company and entrenched French interests. The timing of the meeting was perfect given the ongoing taxi wars in France and the government's promise to help out the traditional cabbies.…
AAPA Gets Inside Story on Immigration, Citizenship Issues
AAPA members now have a much deeper understanding of the controversial issues in France of immigration, citizenship and national identity after meeting on January 28 with Patrick Weil, historian and director of research at CNRS. The informal gathering was kindly hosted by Secretary General Sara Llana in her apartment near Place de la République. Weil is a true intellectual and has done a lot of…
New Year's Message to the AAPA membership
Dear AAPA Members, At the turn of the year, it's useful to reflect on the past 12 months and look forward to the future. For the AAPA and its nearly 120 members, 2015 will be remembered by the terrible attacks of January and November that resonated throughout the world and made Paris the focus of global media attention. Among other intense happenings, reporters came face to face with human drama…
AAPA Rounds off 2015 with a Convivial AGM
Close to 30 AAPA members converged on the Marais on Dec. 14 for another convivial Annual General Meeting. This was the last to be presided over by President John Keating, who has served an unprecedented four-year stretch at the helm of the association. He thanked all of those who have worked hard to bring in more members, exciting guests - we had a record 18 last year - and preserve the solid…
Climate Talks Must Be a Success, Nicolas Hulot Tells AAPA
There was no doubt in the mind of Nicolas Hulot that the COP21 conference on climate change would be a success. Speaking to a group of AAPA members five days before over 140 heads of state and governments converged on Paris to attend the COP21 on Nov. 30, President Hollande’s special envoy for the protection of the planet said : « The only question is : will it be a half success, a full success…
Journalists Have a Future, Publicis CEO Tells AAPA
“There is such a profusion of information out there today, such a big news flow, that we need to be served by professionals,” Publicis Groupe Chairman and CEO Maurice Levy told two dozen AAPA members on Nov. 6. “In the last decade there has been a profusion of blogs and communications from ‘citizens,’ all co-producing news. This trend is now being reversed. The tide has turned. There have been…
Former AAPA President Rony Koven Dies
Ronald Koven, a long-time Paris-based journalist who struggled tirelessly for the freedom of the press, died on Friday Oct. 30 in Paris of complications following a long battle with cancer. He was 80. Rony, as he was known to his friends and colleagues, had a long and distinguished career as a foreign correspondent for major U.S. newspapers, and was an ardent ambassador for press freedom around…
AAPA Gears Up for COP21 Climate Change Conference
AAPA members now know the who, what, where, when and why of the upcoming COP21 conference on climate change thanks to a briefing on Nov. 3 from Celine Ramstein, the COP21 project manager for the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations. Over 90 minutes, Ramstein, whose institute is working closely with the French government to prepare for the negotiations, enlightened us…
AAPA Gets the Story behind France's Unique Unicorn
France has become a much more fertile ground for creating start-up companies, the youthful and dynamic head of French ride-sharing company BlaBlaCar told a group of 15 AAPA members on Oct. 9. Speaking to us at a lively breakfast meeting at the BlaBla Bistro in his company’s Paris HQ, Frédéric Mazzella, explained how he got the idea for his company in 2003 when he noticed how few cars travelling…
Hollande’s Diplomatic Advisor Meets the AAPA
A group of AAPA journalists were given a rare opportunity last October 6 to meet with Jacques Audibert, France’s top diplomatic advisor to President Francois Hollande. In the impressive setting of the Hotel Marigny, where heads of state are usually housed and entertained on official visits, Audibert discussed key foreign policy issues in a 90-minute “off-the-record” exchange, touching…