Just when you thought US politics couldn’t get louder abroad: American embassies have sent letters to European companies urging them to ditch their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programmes.
Waarom? Because America said so! Refuse, and say goodbye to those juicy US government contracts. 👋
The DEI crackdown goes global
The letters trace back to an executive order from Trump’s first presidency, banning DEI initiatives in the US federal government, reports Trouw.
US embassies are now exporting that drama overseas, reshaping HR policies via diplomatic pressure.
America has always cheated itself out of accelerate progress, innovation and economic value by discounting the contributions of non-white, non-male talent. The anti-DEI wave is this country’s attempt to default to coddling white men at the expense of collective progress.— AT (@primediscussion) March 21, 2025
According to French newspaper Les Echos (which has the letters), the ban affects all US government contractors, “regardless of their nationality or place of establishment.”
Recipients are asked to sign a certification of compliance with the US federal Anti-Discrimination Act, via an English-language form attached to the letter.
Want a US government contract? You’ve got five days to fill out a form swearing you don’t promote DEI. Should you decline, you’d best prepare to explain yourself to American lawyers. Gezellig. 😬
Dutch reaction: “Wait, what?”
Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade, Reinette Klever, called the move “worrying” and warned it could bring “more uncertainty for Dutch companies.”
So far, not a peep from firms like Philips or Boskalis about receiving that letter. 🤐
Meanwhile, the US embassy in The Hague isn’t spilling any tea, giving the classic: “We do not respond to private correspondence.”
I wonder if it has occurred to him that in Europe, Americans are foreigners – WE are the DEI hires. Eliminating DEI in France wouldn’t be “America First”, it would be “France First”.— Norman Jefferson (@jeffnorm.bsky.social) March 29, 2025 at 5:05 PM
It’s an awkward clash, as the Netherlands has had a gender diversity law since 2002, while the U.S. seems to say “nah, we’re good.” Mixed signals, anyone?
More than just policy: It’s about people
In conversation with Trouw, Professor Jojanneke van der Toorn uses her research to address how diverse workplaces matter to underrepresented folks (shocking, right?). Without them, people aren’t just quitting jobs — they’re quitting the country.
She says, “What do you lose if you do not implement an inclusive policy? Then you run the risk of missing out on talent.”
And it’s not just the Dutch side-eyeing — France and Belgium aren’t thrilled either. As the Belgian Minister of Finance put it: “We have a culture of non-discrimination in Europe and we must continue that.’’
He followed that up with a rather cutting put-down of the current US president, stating that the country has “no lessons to learn from the boss of America.”
Seriously, who invited Uncle Sam to the EU office party? 🙄
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