The
National Order of Merit is an
Order of State with membership (about 187,000 members) awarded by the
President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President
Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the Order’s establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ministerial orders previously awarded by the ministries; and to create an award that can be awarded at a lower level than the
Légion d'honneur (Legion of Honour), which is generally reserved for French citizens.