The Government of France has formally notified the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) that it is withdrawing its bid to host World Expo 2025 in Greater Paris.

In a letter dated 4 February, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe informed BIE Secretary General Vicente G. Loscertales of the Government’s decision to not proceed with the candidature process, stating: “the economic model proposed in the project does not offer the necessary guarantees to rule out any financial risk for the French taxpayer.”

The Secretary General of the BIE, Vicente G. Loscertales indicated: “the BIE takes note of the French Government’s decision to withdraw its World Expo bid. As the candidature process moves into the next phase, three candidates remain in the running for World Expo 2025: Japan (Osaka), Russia (Ekaterinburg) and Azerbaijan (Baku).”

The host country will be elected by the 170 Member States of the BIE during the 164th General Assembly of the Organisation in November 2018.