Édith Cresson
Encyclopedia
Édith Cresson is a French politician
. She was the first and so far only woman to have held the office of Prime Minister of France
.
on 15 May 1991. She soon became strongly unpopular among the electorate and had to leave office after less than one year, following the Socialists
' poor showing in 1992's regional elections. She has so far spent the shortest time in office for any French Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic
.
Her strong criticism of Japanese trade practices, going so far as to compare the Japanese to "yellow ants trying to take over the world", has led some to consider her also to be a racist.
Cresson is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders
, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
she was the main target in the fraud allegations that led to the resignation of the Santer Commission in 1999. Subsequent to a fraud inquiry the European Commission said that Cresson in her capacity as the Research Commissioner "failed to act in response to known, serious and continuing irregularities over several years". Cresson was found guilty of not reporting failures in a youth training programme from which vast sums went missing.
When Cresson took up her functions, she intended to appoint dental surgeon Philippe Berthelot, one of her close acquaintances, as a "personal advisor". Because Berthelot was 66 years old, he could not be appointed as a member of a Commissioner’s Cabinet. When Cresson took up office, her Cabinet was already fully staffed with personal advisors. Berthelot was instead engaged as a "visiting scientist" in September 1995.
Berthelot worked only as a personal advisor to Cresson. His contract expired on 1 March 1997, and he was offered another visiting scientist’s contract for a period of one year. EU rules specify a maximum duration of 24 months for visiting scientists, but Berthelot spent two and a half years in the position.
On 31 December 1997, Berthelot requested the termination of his contract on medical grounds, and his application was accepted. A complaint was made by a Member of Parliament, and a criminal investigation concerning Berthelot was opened in Belgium in 1999. In June 2004, the Chambre du conseil of the Tribunal de première instance de Bruxelles (Court of First Instance, Brussels) decided that no further action should be taken in the case.
on Case C-432/04 (Commission of the European Communities versus Édith Cresson), the Court declared that Édith Cresson acted in breach of her obligations as a European commissioner. While the breach of the obligations arising from the office of Member of the Commission calls, in principle, for the imposition of a penalty, the Court held that, having regard to the circumstances of the case, the finding of breach constituted, of itself, an appropriate penalty and, accordingly, decided not to impose on Cresson a penalty in the form of a deprivation of her right to a pension or other benefits.
Cresson claimed that where the conduct complained of in criminal and disciplinary proceedings was the same, the findings of the criminal court were binding on the disciplinary authorities. However, the Court held that it was not bound by the legal characterisation of facts made in the context of the criminal proceedings and that it was for the Court, exercising its discretion to the full, to investigate whether the conduct complained of in proceedings brought under Article 213(2) EC constituted a breach of the obligations arising from the office of Commissioner. Accordingly, the decision of the Chambre du conseil of the Tribunal de première instance de Bruxelles that there was no evidence of criminal conduct on Cresson’s part could not bind the Court.
Governmental functions
Prime minister : 1991–1992 (Resignation).
Minister of Agriculture : 1981–1983.
Minister of Foreign trade and Tourism : 1983–1984.
Minister of Industrial Redeployment and Foreign Trade : 1984–1986.
Minister of European Affairs : 1988–1990 (Resignation).
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament
: 1979–1981 (Elected in parliamentary elections, and became minister in 1981). Elected in 1979.
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Vienne
(4th constituency) : Elected in 1981, but she became minister in June / 1986–1988. Elected in 1981, reelected in 1986, 1988.
General Council
General councillor of Vienne
: 1982–1998 (Resignation). Reelected in 1988, 1994.
Municipal Council
Mayor of Châtellerault
: 1983–1997 (Resignation). Reelected in 1989, 1995.
Deputy-mayor of Châtellerault
: 1997–2008. Reelected in 2001.
Municipal councillor of Châtellerault
: 1983–2008. Reelected in 1989, 1995, 2001.
Mayor of Thuré
: 1977–1983.
Municipal councillor of Thuré
: 1977–1983.
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Politics of France
France is a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, in which the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France is the head of government, and there is a pluriform, multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is...
. She was the first and so far only woman to have held the office of Prime Minister of France
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
.
French Prime Minister
Cresson was appointed to the prime ministerial post by President François MitterrandFrançois Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
on 15 May 1991. She soon became strongly unpopular among the electorate and had to leave office after less than one year, following the Socialists
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
' poor showing in 1992's regional elections. She has so far spent the shortest time in office for any French Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic
The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing the prior parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system...
.
Her strong criticism of Japanese trade practices, going so far as to compare the Japanese to "yellow ants trying to take over the world", has led some to consider her also to be a racist.
Cresson is a member of the Council of Women World Leaders
Council of Women World Leaders
The Council of Women World Leaders is a network of current and former women prime ministers and presidents established in 1996 by Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, President of Iceland and first woman in the world to be democratically elected president, and Laura Liswood, Secretary General...
, an International network of current and former women presidents and prime ministers whose mission is to mobilize the highest-level women leaders globally for collective action on issues of critical importance to women and equitable development.
European Commissioner
While a European CommissionerEuropean Commissioner
A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission...
she was the main target in the fraud allegations that led to the resignation of the Santer Commission in 1999. Subsequent to a fraud inquiry the European Commission said that Cresson in her capacity as the Research Commissioner "failed to act in response to known, serious and continuing irregularities over several years". Cresson was found guilty of not reporting failures in a youth training programme from which vast sums went missing.
Appointing a friend
Berthelot worked only as a personal advisor to Cresson. His contract expired on 1 March 1997, and he was offered another visiting scientist’s contract for a period of one year. EU rules specify a maximum duration of 24 months for visiting scientists, but Berthelot spent two and a half years in the position.
On 31 December 1997, Berthelot requested the termination of his contract on medical grounds, and his application was accepted. A complaint was made by a Member of Parliament, and a criminal investigation concerning Berthelot was opened in Belgium in 1999. In June 2004, the Chambre du conseil of the Tribunal de première instance de Bruxelles (Court of First Instance, Brussels) decided that no further action should be taken in the case.
European Commission vs. Édith Cresson
On 11 July 2006, in a judgment by the European Court of JusticeEuropean Court of Justice
The Court can sit in plenary session, as a Grand Chamber of 13 judges, or in chambers of three or five judges. Plenary sitting are now very rare, and the court mostly sits in chambers of three or five judges...
on Case C-432/04 (Commission of the European Communities versus Édith Cresson), the Court declared that Édith Cresson acted in breach of her obligations as a European commissioner. While the breach of the obligations arising from the office of Member of the Commission calls, in principle, for the imposition of a penalty, the Court held that, having regard to the circumstances of the case, the finding of breach constituted, of itself, an appropriate penalty and, accordingly, decided not to impose on Cresson a penalty in the form of a deprivation of her right to a pension or other benefits.
Cresson claimed that where the conduct complained of in criminal and disciplinary proceedings was the same, the findings of the criminal court were binding on the disciplinary authorities. However, the Court held that it was not bound by the legal characterisation of facts made in the context of the criminal proceedings and that it was for the Court, exercising its discretion to the full, to investigate whether the conduct complained of in proceedings brought under Article 213(2) EC constituted a breach of the obligations arising from the office of Commissioner. Accordingly, the decision of the Chambre du conseil of the Tribunal de première instance de Bruxelles that there was no evidence of criminal conduct on Cresson’s part could not bind the Court.
Political career
European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science : 1995–1999.Governmental functions
Prime minister : 1991–1992 (Resignation).
Minister of Agriculture : 1981–1983.
Minister of Foreign trade and Tourism : 1983–1984.
Minister of Industrial Redeployment and Foreign Trade : 1984–1986.
Minister of European Affairs : 1988–1990 (Resignation).
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
: 1979–1981 (Elected in parliamentary elections, and became minister in 1981). Elected in 1979.
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
(4th constituency) : Elected in 1981, but she became minister in June / 1986–1988. Elected in 1981, reelected in 1986, 1988.
General Council
General councillor of Vienne
Vienne
Vienne is the northernmost département of the Poitou-Charentes region of France, named after the river Vienne.- Viennese history :Vienne is one of the original 83 departments, established on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was created from parts of the former provinces of Poitou,...
: 1982–1998 (Resignation). Reelected in 1988, 1994.
Municipal Council
Mayor of Châtellerault
Châtellerault
Châtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
: 1983–1997 (Resignation). Reelected in 1989, 1995.
Deputy-mayor of Châtellerault
Châtellerault
Châtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
: 1997–2008. Reelected in 2001.
Municipal councillor of Châtellerault
Châtellerault
Châtellerault is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in France.It is located to the north of Poitou, and the residents are called Châtelleraudais.-Geography:...
: 1983–2008. Reelected in 1989, 1995, 2001.
Mayor of Thuré
Thuré
Thuré is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-Demographics:-References:*...
: 1977–1983.
Municipal councillor of Thuré
Thuré
Thuré is a commune in the Vienne department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-Demographics:-References:*...
: 1977–1983.
Cresson's Cabinet, 15 May 1991 – 2 April 1992
Édith Cresson – Prime Minister- Roland DumasRoland DumasRoland Dumas is a lawyer and French Socialist politician who served notably as Foreign Minister under President François Mitterrand from 1984 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1993...
– Minister of Foreign Affairs - Pierre JoxePierre JoxePierre Joxe is a former French Socialist politician and has been a member of the Constitutional Council of France since 2001....
– Minister of Defense - Philippe MarchandPhilippe MarchandPhilippe Marchand is a French politician.He was member of the parliament and president of the general council of Charente-Maritime. He failed to act to establish the Giacometti Foundation....
– Minister of the Interior - Pierre BérégovoyPierre BérégovoyPierre Eugène Bérégovoy was a French Socialist politician. He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1992 to 1993.-Early career:...
– Minister of Economy, Finance, Budget, and Privatization - Roger Fauroux – Minister of Industry
- Martine AubryMartine AubryMartine Aubry is a French politician. She has been the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party since November 2008 and Mayor of Lille since March 2001...
– Minister of Labour, Employment, and Vocational Training - Henri NalletHenri NalletHenri Nallet is a French politician. He is a member of the Socialist Party.He was twice Minister of Agriculture between 1985 and 1986, and between 1988 and 1990. He also was the Minister of Justice between 1990 and 1992.-References:...
– Minister of Justice - Lionel JospinLionel JospinLionel Jospin is a French politician, who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.Jospin was the Socialist Party candidate for President of France in the elections of 1995 and 2002. He was narrowly defeated in the final runoff election by Jacques Chirac in 1995...
– Minister of National Education - Jack LangJack Lang (French politician)Jack Mathieu Émile Lang is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1981 to 1986 and 1988 to 1992, and as Minister of Education from 1992 to 1993 and 2000 to 2002. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989 to 2000...
– Minister of Culture and Communication - Louis MermazLouis MermazLouis Mermaz is a French politician. He became an ally of François Mitterrand in the late 1950s and in 1971 became a member of Mitterrand's staff in the French Socialist Party. From 1981 to 1986, he was president of the French National Assembly. He served as Minister of Agriculture from 1990 to...
– Minister of Agriculture and Forests - Brice LalondeBrice LalondeBrice Lalonde is a former green party leader in France, who ran for President of France in the Presidential elections, 1981. In 1988 he was named Minister of the Environment, and in 1990 founded the green party Ecology Generation...
– Minister of Environment - Frédérique Bredin – Minister of Youth and Sports
- Louis Le PensecLouis Le PensecLouis Le Pensec is a French politician. He is a member of the Socialist Party. Between 1973 and 1997, he was a member of the Parliament.Since 27 September 1998, he is a Senator of Finistère....
– Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories - Paul QuilèsPaul QuilèsPaul Quilès is a French Socialist politician.-Biography:He was born in Sig, Algeria.Deputy of Tarn département, close to Laurent Fabius, he was Defense Minister from 1985 to 1986, after the Rainbow Warrior scandal...
– Minister of Transport, Housing, Space, and Equipment - Jean PoperenJean PoperenJean Poperen was a French politician.Poperen joined the Communist Party at 18, and was also a member of the Union of Communist Students. He left the PCF after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and became a founding member of the Unified Socialist Party in 1960...
– Minister of Relations with Parliament - Edwige Avice – Minister of Cooperation and Development
- Jean-Pierre SoissonJean-Pierre SoissonJean-Pierre Soisson is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement who is a deputy in the National Assembly of France for the first district of Yonne....
– Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Modernization - Michel DelebarreMichel DelebarreMichel Delebarre is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Nord department, and is a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche. He is also mayor of Dunkirk ....
– Minister of City and Regional Planning - Hubert CurienHubert CurienHubert Curien was a French physicist and a key figure in European science politics, as the President of CERN , the first chairman of the European Space Agency , and second President of the Academia Europæa and a President of Fondation de France.-Biography:Born in Cornimont, Vosges in Lorraine,...
– Minister of Research and Technology - Jean-Louis BiancoJean-Louis BiancoJean-Louis Bianco is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the first constituency of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, and is a member of the Socialist Party, which sits with the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche group in the Assembly.-External links:...
– Minister of Social Affairs and Integration
Selected publications
- 1976: Avec le soleil, Paris: Éditions Jean-Claude Lattès
- 1989: L'Europe à votre porte: manuel pratique sur les actions de la CEE intéressant les opérateurs économiques, Centre français du commerce extérieur (with Henri Malosse)
- 1998: Innover ou subir. Paris: éditions Flammarion ISBN 208035504X
- 2006: Histoires françaises. Monaco: Éditions du Rocher ISBN 2268060152 (autobiography)
External links
- Curriculum Vitae as Commissioner
- How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, TIME, 29 March 1999
- Q&A on the Commission’s position in the case of Ms Cresson, 19 July 2004
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