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| Ministry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Trade, Workmanship, Tourism, and Purchasing Power of Cabinet of France | |
|---|---|
| Ministre des Petites et Moyennes entreprises, du Commerce, de l’Artisanat, du Tourisme et du Pouvoir d’achat | |
 | |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister |
| Seat | 7th arrondissement of Paris,Paris |
| Nominator | Emmanuel Macron |
| Appointer | Sébastien Lecornu |
| Term length | No fixed term |
| First holder | Gabriel Kaspereit, as Secretary of State for Small and Medium-Sized Industry and Crafts |
| Salary | €10,700 gross monthly |
| Website | https://www.economie.gouv.fr/entreprises |
TheMinistry of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Trade,Wormanship, Tourism, and Purchasing Power (in French:Ministère des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises, du Commerce, de l'Artisanat, du Tourisme et du Pouvoir d'achat) is a governmental department in France. It was established in 1812 under the nameMinistère des Manufactures et du Commerce, and its designation has evolved over time in accordance with the political periods and governments in power. The current ministry oversees the portfolios ofworkmanship, trade,tourism, and support forpurchasing power. It is a fully operational ministry within thesecond government ofSébastien Lecornu, withSerge Papin serving as the incumbent minister since 12 October 2025.[1]
The position sometimes included responsibility for other government departments such asPublic Works,Interior,Agriculture andPosts, Telegraphs and Telephones. Initially focused on encouraging industry and commerce, the ministry’s scope expanded in 1969 to include small and medium-sized industries as well as craftsmanship. Between 2000 and 2002, under thesocialist Jospin government, it also incorporated the portfolio ofConsumer Affairs. The ministry's remit further broadened to include liberal professions between 2002 and 2007, and again between 2010 and 2012. Under the presidency of Emmanuel Macron, it was incorporated into theMinistry ofEconomics, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. At that point, it became a fully-fledged ministry with the inclusion of the purchasing power portfolio.
The existence of a dedicated ministry to support craftsmanship and small and medium-sized enterprises is justified by the dominance of such enterprises in theFrench economy. According to statistics from the Ministry of the Economy and Finance, in 2022, France was home to 4.3 millionmicroenterprises or very small businesses, as well as 172,000small and medium-sized enterprises. In total, 2.3 million employees worked in microenterprises, and 4.5 million employees were employed in small and medium-sized enterprises.[2]
While policies concerning trade and industrial support were historically overseen by commercial councils under theFrench monarchy — bodies that functioned similarly tochambers of commerce—these prerogatives were transferred to the state during theFrench Revolution. This shift marked the beginning of the centralisation of economic policy in France and inaugurated a moreinterventionist role for public authorities in economic affairs. A dedicated governmental department, the Ministry of Manufactures and Trade, was established in 1811 underNapoleon Bonaparte. This new ministry was vested with broad responsibilities, including oversight of manufacturing, factories, commerce, food supplies, customs, and the mining council.
During theSecond Empire, a larger ministry was created — encompassing Agriculture, Trade, and Public Works — which further reinforced the state’s supervisory role in economic and industrial development. However, it was only with the advent of theThird Republic in 1870 that the Ministry of Trade became a truly influential department. Reorganised in 1881 underLéon Gambetta, it championed free trade and was tasked with developing foreign trade, promoting technical education, regulating commercial exchanges, and supporting industrial associations deemed beneficial to the economy. For Gambetta, the establishment of a strong Ministry of Trade symbolised both the advancement of French commerce and the consolidation of the relatively young republican regime, leading him to speak of a "Republic of Merchants". While the Second Empire had emphasised economic liberalism, the early Third Republic saw growing academic and political interest in state intervention, thereby justifying the creation of a dedicated ministry for trade. This initiative formed part of broader efforts to modernise and rebuild the economy in the aftermath of theFranco-Prussian War.[3] In this context, the Minister of Trade in theFerry government, Charles Hérisson, actively promoted French enterprises abroad. He facilitated their participation in international exhibitions, such as the 1876 International Exhibition of Electricity in Philadelphia and the 1885 Vienna exhibition of engines and machinery for small industries. From 1883 onward, foreign trade became a governmental priority. Hérisson established a Bureau of Commercial Information to support exports, encourage participation in overseas exhibitions, and promote international trade. Until 1905, the ministry also played a social role, particularly by overseeing industrial health and safety regulation. Concurrently, France adopted a protectionist tariff policy, notably through theMéline Tariff of 1892, which introduced preferential rates in agriculture. Additionally, France developed a preferential tariff zone with its colonies (the "Franc Zone"), modelled after the British Empire’s system ofimperial preference.[4]
In 1913, the Ministry of Trade and Industry was expanded to include postal and telegraph services, forming a "super-ministry" tasked with bolstering economic development. This arrangement continued until 1928, when a separateMinistry of Posts and Telegraphs was established.
AsWorld War II approached, the ministry was restructured as the "State Secretariat for Industrial Production" in 1940 — a designation revived in the post-war period. Following theLiberation in 1944, state intervention in commercial affairs intensified. From 1944 to 1947, the ministry was renamed the "Ministry of Industrial Production" and assumed responsibility for commercial professions, domestic trade, intellectual property, and craftsmanship. In the context of post-war reconstruction and the "Trente Glorieuses" (the thirty-year period of economic growth), the ministry was variously linked with portfolios such as Energy (1951–52), Reconstruction and Housing (1956), and others. This era also saw the rise of economic planning and the nationalisation of strategic sectors such as gas, electricity, and mining, driven in part by the demands of theFrench Communist Party. Simultaneously, France negotiated the establishment of theCommon Agricultural Policy (CAP) within theEuropean Economic Community (EEC) to support its domestic agricultural production. In 1968, the EEC introduced aCommon External Tariff (CET), thereby transferring tariff policy competencies to European institutions.
From the 1970s onwards, the ministry's remit increasingly included consumer affairs and was frequently linked to theMinistry of the Economics and Finance, often as a subordinate department. The Directorate for Craftsmanship (Direction de l'Artisanat) was created in 1969 to develop and implement government policy on craftsmanship, oversee the chambers of trades, and support economic initiatives aimed at facilitating the establishment, development, and modernisation of artisanal businesses. In 1984, the ministry’s remit was expanded to include tourism. Two years later, in 1986, Prime MinisterJacques Chirac appointed a Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, responsible for Trade, Craftsmanship, and Services, as part of the government’s broader programme of public sector privatisation. Between 1993 and 1995, during the cohabitation between Socialist PresidentFrançois Mitterrand and the liberal-conservative government ofÉdouard Balladur, the ministry was rebranded as the Ministry for Enterprises and Economic Development, with responsibility for SMEs, trade, and craftsmanship.[5]
In 1997, the ministry became a Secretary of State within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, before regaining full ministerial status from 2004 to 2007 in theDe Villepin government. During this period, the portfolio was extended to include liberal professions. From 2012 to 2014, under the SocialistSylvia Pinel, the ministry again alternated between being a delegated ministry and a full ministry.
Absent during PresidentEmmanuel Macron’s first term, the ministry was reinstated in 2022, withOlivia Grégoire appointed Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. It was briefly attached to theMinistry for Territorial Partnerships and Decentralisation from September to December 2024, during the conservative government ofMichel Barnier. It regained full ministerial status on 12 October 2025, in the second government led bySébastien Lecornu. For the first time, the ministerial title explicitly referenced "purchasing power". Shortly afterSerge Papin, former CEO of the cooperative retailerCoopérative U, was appointed as minister, retail expert Dominique Crepy expressed criticism. In a statement to the online newspaperLSA, he questioned whether the ministry’s title reflected a deeper conceptual confusion: "Does this not signify a state that no longer sees itself as the guarantor of conditions for economic freedom, but rather as the custodian of economic sentiment?"[6]
In his first interview withLa Tribune on 18 October 2025, Serge Papin outlined his agenda, which includes supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, defending the 2003 Dutreil Pact that facilitates the transfer of family businesses by exempting them under certain conditions from inheritance tax, and endorsing a €2 tax on small parcels to combatfast fashion — specifically targeting firms likeShein andTemu, accused of unfair competition against French fashion producers.[7] In an interview withL’Opinion, Papin also advocated for a new form of employeeprofit-sharing, which would go beyond traditional savings schemes.[8]
In 1812Napoleon created a Ministry of Commerce and Manufacture (Ministère du Commerce et des Manufactures), which he assigned toJean-Baptiste Collin de Sussy. That ministry was suppressed in 1814.[9]
A royal ordinance of 22 January 1828 recreated the Ministry of Commerce and Manufacture, which covered manufacture and interior and exterior commerce, which were detached from theMinistry of the Interior. The ministry was suppressed by ordinance of 8 August 1829, and these services were again made part of the department of the interior.[10]
An ordinance of 17 March 1831 created the Ministry of Commerce and Public works (Ministère du Commerce et des Travaux publics), to which the minister had been named on 13 March 1831. This ministry included agriculture, subsistence, stud farms, interior and exterior commerce and statistics, detached from the department of the Interior.[10]
A royal ordinance of 6 April 1834 created the Ministry of Commerce (Ministère du Commerce), with the same functions as the Ministry of Commerce and Public works .[10]
An ordinance of 2 March 1836 recreated the Ministry of Commerce and Public works, with the added responsibilities of bridges, roads and mines.[10]
An ordinance of 19 September 1836 changed the name without changing the function, to theMinistère des travaux publics, d'agriculture et du commerce'.[10]
A royal ordinance of 23 May 1839 reconstituted the ministry as Agriculture and Commerce, with the same duties as that of the ordinance of 6 April 1834.[10]
A decree of 25 January 1852 reunited the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce with that of the Interior, under the titleMinistère de l'intérieur, de l'agriculture et du commerce.[10]
A decree of 23 June 1853 reinstated the Ministry of Agriculture, Commerce and Public Works.[10]
A decree of 17 July 1869 reestablished the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce as it had been before the decree of 25 January 1852.[10]