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Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 1946) is a French politician serving as President of the Constitutional Council since 8 March 2016. A member of the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...
, he previously served as
Prime Minister of France The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers. The prime minister i ...
from 17 July 1984 to 20 March 1986. Fabius was 37 years old when he was appointed and is, so far, the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic. Fabius was also President of the National Assembly from 1988 to 1992 and again from 1997 to 2000. Fabius served in the government as
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...
from 2000 to 2002 and
Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...
from 2012 to 2016.


Early life

Fabius was born in the affluent
16th arrondissement of Paris The 16th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''seizième''. The arrondissement includes part of the Arc de T ...
, the son of Louise (''née'' Strasburger-Mortimer; 1911–2010) and André Fabius (1908–1984). He is the younger brother of Catherine Leterrier and François Fabius. His parents were from
Ashkenazi Jewish Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
families who converted to Catholicism. Fabius was raised a
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
; he has three sons, David (1978) with his partner Christine d'Izarny Gargas , Thomas (1981) and Victor (1983) by his spouse, Françoise Castro. Fabius' received secondary education at the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly and
Lycée Louis-le-Grand The Lycée Louis-le-Grand (), also referred to simply as Louis-le-Grand or by its acronym LLG, is a public Lycée (French secondary school, also known as sixth form college) located on rue Saint-Jacques in central Paris. It was founded in the ...
, where he was a pupil of Donald Adamson. Fabius then went up to institutions that are training grounds for academics (
École normale supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...
), and senior civil servants and executives (
Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public research university'' Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , accreditation ...
,
École nationale d'administration The École nationale d'administration (generally referred to as ENA, en, National School of Administration) was a French ''grande école'', created in 1945 by President Charles de Gaulle and principal author of the 1958 Constitution Michel Deb ...
).


Political career

After his studies, Fabius became an auditor for the
Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
. A member of the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of ...
(PS) since 1974, Fabius was first elected to the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the r ...
in 1978 for the fourth constituency of
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...
. Fabius quickly gained entry to the circle of
François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
, the leader of the party.


In Government: 1981–1984

When Mitterrand was elected as President of France in 1981, Fabius was nominated as Minister of the Budget. Two years later, Fabius became Minister of Industry, and pursued the policy of "industrial restructuring". In 1984, in a government shake-up, Mitterrand chose Fabius as Prime Minister (choosing Fabius over
Pierre Bérégovoy Pierre Eugène Bérégovoy (; 23 December 1925 – 1 May 1993) was a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under President François Mitterrand from 2 April 1992 to 29 March 1993. He was a member of the Socialist Party (Fran ...
and
Jacques Delors Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born 20 July 1925) is a French politician who served as the 8th President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. He served as Minister of Finance of France from 1981 to 1984. He was a Member of the European P ...
). At the age of 37 he was the youngest French prime minister since 1819.


Prime Minister: 1984–1986

Fabius advocated a new kind of French socialism, which accepted the market economy. It marked a shift away from traditional socialist concerns with state ownership and instead looked for ways to modernize industry, and increase productivity, even at the cost of some jobs. Fabius also worked to modernize the party's archaic structures. In social policy, a law of December 1984 replaced allowance for orphans with a family support allowance, and empowered family allowance funds to aid in recovery of child support when a parent fails to pay. The allowable income for recipients of the young child allowance was increased (July 1984) for families with three or more children. The Fabius Government also sought to reduce penalties on families with working mothers by substantially increasing the income ceiling for dual-income families receiving the young child allowance. A parental education fund was created (1985), which provided for payments to each person who stops work or reduces hours of work as a result of the birth of any child beyond the first two, for which the parent(s) is/are responsible. In 1985, as a means of upholding the rights of homosexuals, the penal code was amended to prohibit discrimination on the grounds of "moral habits" which included sexual orientation, which also secured the right to same-sex relationships. A decree of 17 July 1984 set up an Immigrants' Council, which could be consulted on questions of concern to the immigrant population regarding living conditions, housing, work, employment, education, and training, as well as social and cultural activities. In November 1984, an allowance was introduced if the parent concerned had been employed for two or more years. Known as the "allocation parentale d'education," this allowance provided 1,000 francs per month for parents who decided to take two years of parental leave after the birth of their first child. The "allocation au jeune enfant," introduced in January 1985, was paid to all families at a flat rate for each child from the third month of pregnancy for nine months, regardless of the parents' income. Payment was to continue after this period for 8 out of 10 families for a further 32 months on a means-tested basis. In effect, this created a benefit for the first child in lower income families. The government, however, reduced the daily maternity allowance from 90% to 84% of the basic wage, while the reimbursement rate of so-called "comfort" medicinal products was also lowered. In June 1985, a law was passed allowing first offenders who had committed petty crimes to serve sentences of six months or less in public-service jobs. A July 1985 law tripled the amount of aid for victims of crimes. Legislation was introduced later that year to restrict the use of preventive detention, and ensure that the rights of suspects were better protected. A decree of September 1984 reconstituted the Supreme Council for the Prevention of Occupational Risks, a consultative body representing both sides of industry, to make it function more flexibly, and was extended to include crafts. A law of January 1985 extended the scope for associations whose formal objectives include combating racism to institute a civil action where an offence has been committed against an individual by reason of his national or ethnic origin, race or religion. A special 1985 holiday programme was introduced, directed particularly at young people outside the traditional circuits of organised leisure activities. Provisions were also adopted that same year according new rights to families and users of child social assistance, particularly as regards information and the association of families and children in decision-making. The right to maternity leave was also extended to the father, in the event of the death of the mother in child-birth. The father was entitled to post-natal leave and could claim an allowance under the maternity insurance scheme. In the field of education, much time and effort was spent on improving the system and educational outcomes. Vast sums were provided to improve technical education in schools, with closer ties established between education and industry, a programme was launched to train 25,000 teachers per annum in the use of computers, 100,000 computers were purchased for students to use, and 1 billion francs were provided for purchasing modern machine tools. The university system was reformed along practical, technological lines, with a degree in new technologies introduced, the reorientation of the first cycle to include greater emphasis on languages and new technologies, the provision of students with orientation and career opportunity meetings to help them plan their course of study in relation to the job market. Universities were encouraged to open up to industry and new technologies via training more skilled researchers and considering the practical needs of business. In 1985, a vocational baccalaureat was established. to provide training for highly skilled workers. In employment policy, the Fabius Government introduced a number of measures designed to mitigate the effects of unemployment. In 1984, three youth training programmes were set up to ease the transition from school to work. The contrat de qualification (CQ) combined work and training for young workers during a 6-month to 2-year period. The contrat d'adaptation (CA) was aimed at facilitating the hiring of young workers by adapting existing skills to the work setting. Under this scheme, individuals worked for a maximum 6-month period while receiving at least 200 hours of training. The stages d'initiation a La vie professionnelle (SIVP) provided schoolleavers with an initiation into work life to enable them to sample and then choose a career. The pre-training stages lasted for three to six months, with the worker receiving at least twenty-five hours of training a month. Participation in this scheme could lead to a CQ or CA. Under a law of August 1985 governing leave for training, retraining and reemployment, employers undertake to offer such leave to a specific number of wage-earners whose redundancy would have been authorised; during this period the workers concerned will be able to benefit from a number of activities organised to help them find new jobs. A law of January 1985 widened the scope of certain social provisions, including the encouragement of training work experience schemes for young people by setting up introductory apprenticeships and extending the fifth week of annual paid holiday to nursery school assistants. A law of July 1985, while increasing the number of cases in which a firm could use temporary workers and relaxing conditions regarding the duration of certain types of contracts, also introduced changes in the rules relating to the duration of probation periods and made it harder to re-employ temporary workers in the same job before a waiting period has expired, etc. The way in which the occupational health services are organised was modified by two decrees issued in March 1986. The first established regional occupational health committees while the second made important changes to the regulations. A Decree of March 1986 laid down conditions for the approval of organisations conducting atmospheric monitoring and made a French standard on such work compulsory, while a Decree of March 1986 on the information and test results to be provided under the Labour Code introduced in France the European Community testing methods for analysing dangerous substances as well as the OECD "codes of practice" governing the procedures to be followed when conducting these tests. During the early Eighties, the Socialists introduced the "congé de conversion" ("conversion leave"), which received widespread publicity in 1984 when redundancy measures were introduced for the shipbuilding and steel industries. These combined the traditional tool of early retirement for redundant workers over the age of fifty with a "conversion leave" for others. These leaves suspended (but did not break) the work contract for a period of up to two years, and during this time the individual received 70% of their previous wage together with retraining in a new occupation. After the retraining was over, workers were promised two job offers. In 1985, the Fabius Government universalised the congé. The revamped congé de conversion offered redundant workers 65% of their previous salary (in line with the benefits for early retirement and unemployment compensation) and a training period of 4–10 months. Between 1985 and 1987, however, only 15,000 workers had taken advantage of the congés, and only one-third succeeded in their "conversion." A year earlier, in 1984, the Fabius government established the travaux d'utilite collective (TUC) programme to prepare school leavers for professional life. This scheme offered unemployed youth between the ages of 16 and 21 (extended to 25 in 1985), the opportunity to work half time in a public sector job. Improvements were also made to the system of benefits for the long-term unemployed whose rights to unemployment insurance had expired. Subject to certain conditions regarding previous activity and resources, the daily solidarity allowance paid to them was raised from FF 42 to FF.64.50 on 1 April. This could be as high as FF 86 per day for unemployed persons aged 55 and over who could give proof of 20 years' paid employment, while unemployed persons aged 57 1/2 had to give proof of only ten paid employment to obtain this allowance and are not required to look for a job. A law of July 1985 amended the articles of the Code de Travail (Labour Code) to bring them into line with EEC Directive 79/781/EEC on the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances. A decree of January 1985 laid down a list of work for which the employees of temporary labour agencies may not be employed, the work in question involving exposure to certain toxic agents and special risks for temporary workers for whom it is difficult to provide medical supervision. A decree of April 1985 laid down technical instructions to be observed by occupational physicians responsible for medical checks on employees exposed to substances which may cause malignant damage to the bladder. The scope of a decree of October 1983, which laid down a list of and the conditions for the labelling and packaging of paints, varnishes, printing inks, adhesives and similar products was extended by a decree of July 1985 to include enamelling preparations. A circular of May 1985 on the prevention of occupational cancers specified the roles of the employer, the trade unions and the occupational physician in preventing this hazard, the effects of which may appear only long after exposure to the agents in question. A law of January 1986 contained a number of changes regarding workers' right to express their views. The obligation to negotiate agreements on the way in which this right is exercised, which used to be limited to firms employing at least 200 workers, was extended to all businesses where trade unions had established one or more sections and appointed a shop steward. The obligation to negotiate did not, however, apply to firms without trade union representations and with less than 50 workers, even if a staff representative had been appointed as trade union delegate. A law of February 1986 amending the labour code included various changes e.g. to ensure that wage-earners received a stable income, independent of fluctuations in weekly working hours. A decree on the protection of workers exposed to benzene was issued in February 1986 with the purpose of simplifying and updating the relevant regulations, most of which dated back to 1939. A decree was issued in March 1986 which amended certain provisions in the Labour Code concerning substances and preparations hazardous to workers, thus transferring into national law the provisions of the Council Directive 79/831/EEC amending for the sixth time Directive 67/548/EEC on the classification, packaging and labelling of dangerous substances. The procedures for forwarding documents concerning inspections and verifications for health and safety purposes were laid down in a decree dated 13 March 1986. A further decree, issued that same year, laid down the health and safety requirements to be met by mobile agricultural and forestry machinery, while a further decree issued on the same date related to the protection of workers exposed to methyl bromide. A decree of January 1986 covers the flooring of fixed scaffolding while a decree of March 1986 laid down the health and safety requirements to be met by mobile agricultural and forestry machinery. A circular of January 1986 on the labelling and packaging of chemical products for industrial use defined the scope of the 1983 decrees on the labelling of chemical products and contained a "guide to EEC packaging". Following a number of accidents involving pyralene transformers, a circular of March 1986 on the hazards associated with pyralene and its decomposition products sets out, for the inspection officers involved, the risks associated with such products, the sectors most at risk, the elementary precautions to be taken, and the regulations to be applied. Despite the Fabius Government's achievements in social policy, it was unable to prevent a rise in social inequality during its time in office, a situation arguably exacerbated by austerity measures introduced by the government. Although the rate of inflation fell, unemployment continued to increase, standing at 11% in early 1986, compared with 8% in 1983. Concern over rising inequality in France was expressed in the publication of a number of books on both "the new poverty" and "social exclusion," which had become major public preoccupations. As a result of a decline in unemployment insurance coverage, those who had no welfare assistance had to rely on local charity and local assistance. This led to cases of some supermarkets providing free food parcels for the unemployed. In 1985, the Fabius Government increased the wealth tax to provide subsidies for organisations providing basic services such as hot meals, agreed to make empty housing and surplus food stocks available, and decided to provide a basic allowance of 40 francs per day for some of the unemployed over the age of 50 who had been left out of the benefit scheme. The Fabius Government's inability to prevent both rising unemployment and inequality arguably contributed to the defeat of the French Socialists in the 1986 legislative election, which led Fabius to step down as prime minister.


Scandals as Prime Minister

The symbol of a modern French socialism, he was weakened by the " Infected blood scandal". His government was accused of having knowingly let doctors give
haemophilia Haemophilia, or hemophilia (), is a mostly inherited genetic disorder that impairs the body's ability to make blood clots, a process needed to stop bleeding. This results in people bleeding for a longer time after an injury, easy bruisin ...
cs transfusions of blood infected by HIV. A judicial process similar to impeachment acquitted him of all personal moral responsibility in the matter. After the sinking of the ''Rainbow Warrior'', a
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
ship, on 10 July 1985, Prime Minister Fabius summoned journalists to his office on 22 September 1985 to read a 200-word statement in which he said: "The truth is cruel," and acknowledged that "Agents of the
French secret service This is a list of current and former French intelligence agencies. Currently active *DGSE: Directorate-General for External Security – '' Direction générale de la sécurité extérieure''. It is the military foreign intelligence agency, whi ...
sank this boat. They were acting on orders." He had previously denied that the bombers of the Rainbow Warrior were in the employ of the French secret service.


Further political career: 1986–2002

Fabius came to be seen as
Lionel Jospin Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002. Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
's rival to be Mitterrand's heir. He failed to win the First Secretaryship of the party in 1988 and 1990 (
Rennes Congress The Rennes Congress was the thirteenth national congress of the French Socialist Party (''Parti socialiste'' or PS). It took place from 15 to 18 March 1990. In 1988, François Mitterrand was re-elected President of France but the PS obtained only ...
) in spite of Mitterrand's support. Installed as President of the National Assembly in 1988 (at 41 years of age, the equal youngest in the history of the lower house), he succeeded finally in becoming First Secretary of the party in 1992, but resigned after the Socialist disaster of the 1993 legislative election. He came back as president of the National Assembly in 1997, then as Minister of Economy and Finance in
Lionel Jospin Lionel Robert Jospin (; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002. Jospin was First Secretary of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997 and the party's candidate for President of France in ...
's cabinet between 2000 and 2002. After Jospin's retirement, he hoped to return as Socialist leader but he failed. He declared that his mind was changed about a number of matters and he joined the left-wing of the party.


Major figure of the Socialist Party: 2002–12

In this position he was the leader of the defeated ''No'' camp in the vote that took place among the members of his party on 1 December 2004, to decide the stance that the party would take on the impending referendum on the European Constitution. He went on to lead the rebel faction of the party advocating a ''no'' vote in the 2005 Referendum, and was seen as the spearhead of the whole ''no'' campaign in France. After the ''no'' vote won, the party leader gave an assurance that he could remain in the party though he was dismissed from the party's National Executive Committee. Fabius was a candidate in the Socialist Party's primary to be the party's candidate in the 2007 presidential election, but finished third, behind
Ségolène Royal Marie-Ségolène Royal (; born 22 September 1953) is a French politician who was the Socialist Party candidate for the Presidency of France in the 2007 election. Royal was president of the Poitou-Charentes Regional Council from 2004 to 201 ...
, the winner, and
Dominique Strauss-Kahn Dominique Gaston André Strauss-Kahn (; born 25 April 1949), also known as DSK, is a French economist and politician who served as the tenth managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and was a member of the French Socialist P ...
. He was subsequently re-elected to the National Assembly in the June 2007 parliamentary election.


Minister for Foreign Affairs: 2012–2016

On 17 May 2012, Laurent Fabius became foreign minister in the government of
Jean-Marc Ayrault Jean-Marc Ayrault (; born 25 January 1950) is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 15 May 2012 to 31 March 2014. He later was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2017. He previously was Mayor of Nantes from 1989 t ...
, appointed prime minister by President
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of the Socialist P ...
. His mandate had three milestones : * he didn't want to negotiate with President Assad to defeat what became ISIL, * he supported Syrian rebel groups, and * he reckoned that " Al-Nosra was doing a good job". As foreign minister, Fabius was also chair of the
2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 was held in Paris, France, from 30 November to 12 December 2015. It was the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1992 United Nations Framework Conv ...
which took place in Paris. His way of engaging with all delegates to achieve a successful agreement has been described as crucial, and something that will make him "go down in history as one of the great diplomats".


President of the Constitutional Council: 2016–present

Fabius was chosen by President
François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France), First Secretary of the Socialist P ...
to succeed to Jean-Louis Debré as President of the Constitutional Council. The change became effective on 8 March 2016.


Political offices

Président of the Constitutional Council: since 2016 Governmental functions Prime minister: 1984–86 Minister of Budget: 1981–83 Minister of Research and Industry: 1983–84 Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry: 2000–02 Minister of Foreign Affairs: 2012–16 Elected offices Member of
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the Legislature, legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven Institutions of the European Union, institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and in ...
: 1989–92 (Resignation) President of the
National Assembly of France The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are know ...
: 1988–92 (Resignation) / 1997–2000 Member of the National Assembly of France for
Seine-Maritime Seine-Maritime () is a department of France in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre. Until 1955 it was named Seine-Inféri ...
: 1978–81 ( 2nd constituency) (Became minister in 1981) / 1986–2000 (1986–1988 proportional representation by department, 1988–2000 4th constituency, became minister in 2000) / 4th constituency; 2002–12 (Became minister in 2012). Elected in 1978, re-elected in 1981, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012. He was replaced by his deputy Guillaume Bachelay in 2012. Regional councillor of
Upper Normandy Upper Normandy (french: Haute-Normandie, ; nrf, Ĥâote-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Upper and Lower Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. History It was created in 1956 from two d ...
: 1992–95 (Resignation) General councillor of Seine-Maritime: 2000–02 (Resignation) Mayor of Le Grand-Quevilly: 1995–2000 (Resignation) First Deputy-mayor of Le Grand-Quevilly: 1977–95 / 2000–12 (Resignation) Municipal councillor of Le Grand-Quevilly: 1977–2016 (Resignation). Re-elected in 1983, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2008, 2014 President of the Agglomeration community of Rouen: 2008–12 (Resignation) Vice-president of the Agglomeration community of Rouen: 2001–08 Member of the Agglomeration community of Rouen: 2001–14. Re-elected in 2008 Political functions First Secretary (leader) of the
Socialist Party (France) The Socialist Party (french: Parti socialiste , PS) is a French centre-left and social-democratic political party. It holds pro-European views. The PS was for decades the largest party of the "French Left" and used to be one of the two major p ...
: 1992–93


Fabius's Ministry, 17 July 1984 – 20 March 1986

*Laurent Fabius – Prime Minister * Claude Cheysson – Minister of External Relations *
Roland Dumas Roland Dumas (; born 23 August 1922) is a French lawyer and Socialist politician who served as Foreign Minister under President François Mitterrand from 1984 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1993. He was also President of the Constitutional Council ...
– Minister of European Affairs * Charles Hernu – Minister of Defence *
Pierre Joxe Pierre Joxe, KBE (; born 28 November 1934) is a former French Socialist politician and has been a member of the Constitutional Council of France between 2001 and 2010. A graduate of the École nationale d'administration, he joined the Court ...
– Minister of the Interior and Decentralization *
Pierre Bérégovoy Pierre Eugène Bérégovoy (; 23 December 1925 – 1 May 1993) was a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France under President François Mitterrand from 2 April 1992 to 29 March 1993. He was a member of the Socialist Party (Fran ...
– Minister of Economy, Finance and Budget *
Édith Cresson Édith Cresson (; née Campion; born 27 January 1934) is a French politician from the Socialist Party. She served as Prime Minister of France from 1991 to 1992, the first woman to do so. She was the only woman to be prime minister until 2022, whe ...
– Minister of Industrial Redeployment and External Commerce *
Michel Delebarre Michel Delebarre (27 April 1946 – 9 April 2022) was a French politician who was a member of the Senate of France. He represented the Nord department, and was a member of the Socialiste, radical, citoyen et divers gauche. He was also mayor o ...
– Minister of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training *
Robert Badinter Robert Badinter (; born 30 March 1928) is a French lawyer, politician and author who enacted the abolition of the death penalty in France in 1981, while serving as Minister of Justice under François Mitterrand. He has also served in high-lev ...
– Minister of Justice * Jean-Pierre Chevènement – Minister of National Education * Michel Rocard – Minister of Agriculture *
Huguette Bouchardeau Huguette Bouchardeau (born 1 June 1935) is a French socialist politician, as well as a publisher (founder of HB Éditions), essayist, and biographer. Political career Bouchardeau was a candidate of the Unified Socialist Party (PSU) in the 198 ...
– Minister of Environment * Paul Quilès – Minister of Transport, Town Planning and Housing *
Michel Crépeau Michel Crépeau (30 October 1930, Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée – 30 March 1999, Paris) was a French centre-left politician. Born in 1930, barrister, he joined the Radical Party. When it split in 1972, he founded the Movement of Left Radical ...
– Minister of Commerce, Craft Industry and Tourism *
Gaston Defferre Gaston Defferre (14 September 1910 – 7 May 1986) was a French Socialist politician. He served as mayor of Marseille for 33 years until his death in 1986. He was minister for overseas territories in Guy Mollet’s socialist government in 1956� ...
– Minister of Planning and Regional Planning * Hubert Curien – Minister of Research and Technology *
Georgina Dufoix Georgina Dufoix (born Georgina Nègre on 16 February 1942) is a French politician, who served as Minister of Social Affairs and National Solidarity from 1984 to 1986, in the government of Laurent Fabius Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 194 ...
– Minister of Social Affairs and National Solidarity. Changes *7 December 1984 –
Roland Dumas Roland Dumas (; born 23 August 1922) is a French lawyer and Socialist politician who served as Foreign Minister under President François Mitterrand from 1984 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1993. He was also President of the Constitutional Council ...
succeeds Cheysson as Minister of External Relations. The position of Minister of European Affairs is abolished. Jack Lang enters the Cabinet as Minister of Culture. The office of Minister of Social Affairs and National Solidarity is abolished, and Georgina Dufoix leaves the Cabinet. *4 April 1985 –
Henri Nallet Henri Nallet (born 6 January 1939 in Bergerac, Dordogne) 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 Justi ...
succeeds Rocard as Minister of Agriculture. *21 May 1985 – 15 November 1985 Edgard Pisani appointed minister in charge of New Caledonia *20 September 1985 – Paul Quilès succeeds Hernu as Minister of Defense in the wake of the ''Rainbow Warrior'' bombing. Jean Auroux succeeds Quilès as Minister of Transport, Town Planning and Housing. *19 February 1986 –
Michel Crépeau Michel Crépeau (30 October 1930, Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée – 30 March 1999, Paris) was a French centre-left politician. Born in 1930, barrister, he joined the Radical Party. When it split in 1972, he founded the Movement of Left Radical ...
succeeds Badinter as Minister of Justice.
Jean-Marie Bockel Jean-Marie Bockel (born 22 June 1950) is a French politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon appointed on 18 March 2008, having previously been Secretary of State ...
succeeds Crépeau as Minister of Commerce, Craft Industry and Tourism.


Personal life

He has declared over $7.9 million of assets, including a flat in Paris worth €2.7m and two country houses in
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
and the Ariège. He has three children and was married to Françoise Castro from 1981 to 2002.


Honours


French national honours

* Grand Cross of the French
National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...
(1984) * Grand Officer of the
Order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...
of the
Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...
(2017)


Foreign honors

* Officer of the
National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Govern ...
(1986) * Grand Cross of the
Order of Infante D. Henrique The Order of Prince Henry ( pt, Ordem do Infante Dom Henrique) is a Portuguese order of knighthood created on 2 June 1960, to commemorate the quincentenary of the death of the Portuguese prince Henry the Navigator, one of the main initiators of ...
(1987) * Knight Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-rankin ...
(1990) * Grand Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident a ...
(1991) * Grand Cross of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit (1995) * Grand Cross of the
Order of the Star of Romania The Order of the Star of Romania (Romanian: ''Ordinul Steaua României'') is Romania's highest civil Order and second highest State decoration after the defunct Order of Michael the Brave. It is awarded by the President of Romania. It has five r ...
(1999) * Commander with Cross with Star of the
Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...
(2012) * Grand Officer of the
National Order of Mali The National Order of Mali is the highest of honorific orders of Mali. History The National Order of Mali was founded on 31 May 1963 to celebrate the independence of the country acquired in 1960 after decades of French colonisation. As such, ...
(2013) * Honorary Knight Commander of the
Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...
(2014) * Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (2015) * Grand Cross of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
(2015) * Grand Cordon of the
Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight f ...
(2022)


Notes and references


Further reading

* David Eggenberger, ed., ''Encyclopedia of World Biography'' (1987) 1: 448 * Gino Raymond, ''Historical Dictionary of France'' (2008) pp 127–128.


External links


Laurent Fabius' official page
in the
French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are kn ...

Laurent Fabius' personal web page

His Speech
to the
College Historical Society The College Historical Society (CHS) – popularly referred to as The Hist – is a debating society at Trinity College Dublin. It was established within the college in 1770 and was inspired by the club formed by the philosopher Edmund ...
of Trinity College , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Fabius, Laurent 1946 births Living people Presidents of the National Assembly (France) Members of the Conseil d'État (France) Chairmen of the Socialist Party (France) Commanders of the Ordre national du Mérite École nationale d'administration alumni École Normale Supérieure alumni French Foreign Ministers French people of Jewish descent French Ministers of Budget French Ministers of Finance Grand Crosses of the Order of Prince Henry Grand Crosses of the Order of the Star of Romania Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Jewish French politicians Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Lycée Janson-de-Sailly alumni Lycée Louis-le-Grand alumni Mayors of places in Normandy Officers of the National Order of Quebec Politicians from Paris Jewish prime ministers Prime Ministers of France Sciences Po alumni Socialist Party (France) politicians Deputies of the 12th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 13th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Members of Parliament for Seine-Maritime