Edgard Edouard Pisani (; 9 October 1918 – 20 June 2016) was a French statesman, philosopher, and writer. He was a

European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...

and

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

Biography

Pisani was born in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

French Tunisia The French protectorate of Tunisia (french: Protectorat français de Tunisie; ar, الحماية الفرنسية في تونس '), commonly referred to as simply French Tunisia, was established in 1881, during the French colonial Empire era, ...

, of French parents of Maltese origin. He spent his childhood in

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

and later studied in Paris. Pisani holds a "licence de lettres" from

La Sorbonne The University of Paris (french: link=no, Université de Paris), Metonymy, metonymically known as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, active from 1150 to 1970, with the exception between 1793 and 1806 under the French Revo ...

, and a Doctorate in political science. A '' résistant'' and significant protagonist of the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris (french: Libération de Paris) was a military battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germ ...

in August 1944, he held positions in various governments in France: Senator (1954–1961), (1974–1981), Minister of Agriculture (1961–1966), Parliamentarian (1967–1968), European Commissioner (1981–1985), Minister of New Caledonia (1985), President of the Arab World Institute (1988–1995). In 1992, with Bertrand Hervieu, he formed the ''Groupe de Seillac'' followed in 1995 by the '' Groupe de Bruges'', both being think tanks specialising in agricultural and rural affairs. Since 1992 he has been a member of the

French Economic and Social Council The Economic, Social and Environmental Council ( French: ''Conseil économique, social et environnemental''), known as the Economic and Social Council before the constitutional law of 23 July 2008, is a consultative assembly in France. It does ...

. In 1993 he was awarded an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Laws) by the

University of Bath (Virgil, Georgics II) , mottoeng = Learn the culture proper to each after its kind , established = 1886 (Merchant Venturers Technical College) 1960 (Bristol College of Science and Technology) 1966 (Bath University of Technology) 1971 (univ ...

. The Fonds Edgard Pisani are available in the Archives nationales of France. Pisani also served on the Agri-Energy Roundtable (AER)'s Committee of Honor, a UN accredited non-governmental organisation chaired by US Senator Jennings Randolph (D)-WV). He died on 20 June 2016 at the age of 97.PRESS RELEASE. Disappearance of Edgard Pisani: Groupe de Bruges honors its founder
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Books

* ''Principes: Project de Déclaration'', éd. Librairie de Médicis, 1946. * ''La Région… pour quoi faire ou le Triomphe des Jacondins'', éd. Calmann-Lévy, 1969. * ''Le Général indivis '', éd. Albin Michel, 1974. * ''Utopie foncière'', préface de Michel Rocard, éd. Gallimard, 1977. * ''Socialiste de raison'', éd. Flammarion, 1978. * ''Défi du monde'', éd. Ramsay, 1979. * ''La Main Et L'outil'', éd. Robert Laffont, 1984. * ''Pour l'Afrique'', éd. Odile Jacob, 1988. * ''Persiste et signe'', éd. Odile Jacob, 1992. * "Pour une agriculture marchande et ménagère, La Tour de l'Aube", éd. Charles Léopold Mayer, 1994. * ''Entre le marché et les besoins des hommes. Agriculture et sécurité alimentaire mondiale'' (avec Pierre-Yves Guihéneuf), éd. Charles Léopold Mayer, 1996. * ''La Passion de L'Etat'', éd.

Arléa Arléa is a French publishing house created in 1986. Arléa publishes thirty new titles each year, including pocket ones. His catalog contains more than a thousand titles: the great classics of Antiquity (whether Greek, Latin, Hebrew, Sanskrit or ...

, 1998. * ''Une Certaine Idée du Monde: L'utopie comme méthode'', éd. Seuil, 2001. * ''Un vieil homme et la terre'', éd. Seuil, 2004. * ''Vive la révolte ! Un vieil homme et la politique'', éd. Seuil, 2006. * ''Une politique mondiale pour nourrir le monde'', éd. Springer, 2007. * ''Le Sens de l'État'', Éditions de l'Aube, 2008. * ''Mes mots: Pistes à réflexion'', éd. de l'Aube, 2013. * ''Croire pour vivre: méditations politiques'', éd. Saint-Léger Éditions, 2015.

Films

* 2011 '' C'est beau la politique, vous savez!'', un film documentaire de Jean Jacques Rault

References

1918 births 2016 deaths High Commissioners of New Caledonia Writers from Tunis Tunisian emigrants to France French Ministers of Agriculture French people of Maltese descent Senators of Haute-Marne European Commissioners 1981–1985 {{France-politician-stub