Franco-British Student Alliance
The Franco-British Student Alliance (FBSA), or Alliance Etudiante Franco-Britannique (AEFB) in French, is a forum and think-tank dedicated to students from France and Britain. It addresses both the future of Franco-British relations and promotes the global competitiveness of the academic sectors of both countries.
The Alliance was founded in 2004 during the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, and unites the students and young alumni of seven leading universities from both countries: the London School of Economics (LSE), the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, The Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) (the French counterpart of the London School of Economics), HEC Paris (the top European business school according to the Financial Times, as of 2005,2006,2007,2008), the Ecole Polytechnique (France's top engineering school), and the École supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales (ESSEC, another top French business school) .
It functions under the joint patronage of HM The Queen and the President of the French Republic, and under the joint Honorary Presidency of Lord Salisbury and le Marquis de Breteuil.
Goals and ambitions
The Alliance aims to strengthen and deepen the Entente Cordiale among the leaders of tomorrow.
It encourages student engagement on challenging global issues and wishes to become a think-tank by organising annual events with leading executives and academics. Recent topics included : "Can Paris challenge the supremacy of London as major financial centre in Europe and in the world?" as well as “French Protectionism versus British Liberalism”.
It promotes networking among alumni and students from our seven partner schools.
It ultimately wants to bring universities, students, and leaders closer, by fostering reciprocal awareness and encouraging cooperation for a common future.
Structure
The FBSA is both a charity and a society. Its central structure corresponds to the charity and the committee in each school is a student society. All seven Presidents and Co-Presidents of the committees are therefore members of the Board of Trustees of the charity. The FBSA is accountable to all of its members and alumni, as well as its supporters in academia, corporations and governments. The Charity has been dissolved in 2011.
Annual Global Events
The Annual Summit.
Every year one of the six universities organises the annual summit, a three-day event, bringing over 300 students together. The first day is an institutional day, traditionally crowned by a reception at the Hôtel des Invalides in France or Lancaster House in Great Britain.
The FBSA aims to tackle broad issues such as those raised at the World economic Forum. These are discussed on the second day during panel discussions and workshops. The 2005 and 2006 summits at the Ecole Polytechnique and the University of Oxford were based respectively on Corporate Social Responsibility and Globalisation In Higher Education, and the 2007 summit was based in Paris, and addressed the issue of sustainable development.
The 2008 Summit will be held at Cambridge University. Over 50 experts from various fields, for instance Business, Government, Research and Media are invited every year.
The Annual Conference.
Held in spring, the venue of this one-day conference rotates between The Château de Breteuil and Hatfield House, the properties of Honorary Presidents The Marquis de Breteuil and The Marquess of Salisbury, whose ancestors were the two main architects of the Entente Cordiale. Topics always deal with a stronger European and Franco-British background.
The Annual Alumni Meeting.
The Alliance organises every year with the FBSA advisory board, an event for the all former members and students. The first Alumni meeting was held in London, in early July 2008, under the leadership of the LSE Alumni office and in coordination with the other Alumni offices.
The Annual Alumni Promotional Campaign.
In September and October, the Alliance promotes its activities in the participating universities, during an intense campaign, at the occasion of the Fresher's fair. The Alliance welcomes students from around the world. It insists on the fact that a Franco-British background is not a prerequisite.
Speakers
Speakers from academia, government and business discuss the topic with students. In the past : Michele Alliot Marie (French Minister of Interior Affairs), Jacques Barrot (VP European Commission), Thomas Fletcher (Private Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Downing St), Lord Grenfell (Deputy Speaker at the House of Lords), Christophe Lanne (Credit Suisse COO France), Regis Monfront (Credit Agricole SA CEO UK), John Howe (Vice Chairman Thales UK), Arnoud de Meyer (Head of Judge Business School at Cambridge), Lord Desai (Professor Emeritus LSE), Denis Ranque (CEO of Thales), Lindsay Owen-Jones (Chairman of l'Oreal Worldwide), Baron David de Rothschild, Baroness Amos (Leader House of Lords), Wafic Said (Business, Philanthropist, Founding Benefactor of Oxford Business School).
Annual report
Each event has a specific topic to debate and workshop conclusions are presented in a report of policy recommendations. The annual report is presented in person to all FBSA supporters (French and British executive and legislative bodies of government, corporate sponsors, alumni and university representatives).
These reports can be found on the FBSA website.
Upcoming Events
- Annual Summit : University of Cambridge, on December 12–14 of 2008.
- Annual Conference : Chateau de Breteuil, on March13–14 of 2009.
- Annual Alumni Meeting : Palais du Luxembourg, le Senat (tbc) on June 25 of 2009.