Marc Fonbaustier

Education

Marc Fonbaustier went to the Lycée Henri-IV, and then graduated in 1985 from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, with a major in “Civil service”. In 1986, he studied financial markets management, future markets and “commodities” markets at the Paris Dauphine University. He passed the École nationale d'administration’s admission tests in 1988, and thus started his curriculum after his two-year civil service at the École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr. Marc Fonbaustier graduated from the Ecole nationale d’administration within the “Condorcet” promotion (1992).

Diplomatic career

After graduating from the Ecole nationale d’administration, he started at the Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs as a scribe for the Legal affairs Department, in charge of issues such as nuclear energy (Euratom Treaty), outer-space affairs (UN committee for a pacific use of the outer-atmosphere space, bilateral agreements, services for outer-space launch…), the Channel tunnel and other trans-boundaries issues (Lyon-Turin railroad connection, bridge on the Rhin river…).

In 1996, he was nominated a national expert of the Ministry of foreign affairs in position at the European Commission, working directly with the Directorate-General for Trade. He worked on the introduction of genetically modified corn in the EU market, on outer-space issues (EGNOS, Galileo) and on a complex case regarding Japan’s Ministry of transportation‘s intent to purchase a satellite-based navigation system that most European operators saw as a violation of the Government procurement agreement (GPA)’s rules set by the WTO. In 1999, he was appointed Counsellor at the French Permanent Representation to the EU, in charge of relations with the European Parliament.
In 2001, Marc Fonbaustier was appointed political counsellor at the French embassy in Rome, Italy.
In 2006, he was nominated Minister Counsellor at the French embassy in India.
In 2009, he was nominated Consul general of France in Kong-Kong and Macau.
In 2010 French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero announced his suspension for administrative investigation.
According to French newspaper Le Monde, Mr Fonbaustier has been suspended after it was discovered he stole two expensive bottles of wine at the Hong-Kong country Club, an elite club whose president was then Donald Tsang, Hong-Kong governor. In 2011, he became Head of the “Situation Center” at the Crisis management department of the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.
In 2014, he became the French ambassador for Togo.
In 2017, he named CFI’s Deputy Managing Director.

Awards and honours