France has never participated in the efforts to design the IACCC nor has it joined it after its creation. While France does not participate in the IACCC, it does engage in other types of international cooperation to fight corruption. France has, in fact, taken big steps in international cooperation in cases of grand corruption.

France’s deferred prosecution agreement (‘Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Public’ or CJIP) has provided an impetus for international cooperation, which manifested itself in the Airbus case with a joint investigation team between the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) and the UK’s Serious Fraud Office and a collaboration with the US Department of Justice. Moreover, the PNF and the French Anti-Corruption Agency (AFA) published in June 2019 joint guidelines on the implementation of the CJIP, which cover international coordination. These guidelines are available in French and in English.

Created in 2017, the AFA launched in 2018, together with the Italian National Anti-Corruption Authority and the Serbian Anti-Corruption Agency, an international network of corruption prevention authorities, the NCPA Network. Gathering members from 27 countries around the world, the NCPA aims to foster cooperation at the operational level, as well as the exchange of information and best practices in the field of corruption prevention. In May 2020, the AFA published a Global Mapping of Anti-corruption authorities in view of exploring new avenues for international cooperation.

Finally, on June 2020, the French Ministry of Justice issued a circular addressed to French prosecutors on the criminal policy relating to international corruption and how such cases should be handled. The circular clearly expressed French will to develop relationships with other enforcement authorities and act in partnership with them.

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Updated: October 31, 2020