Marielle de Sarnez: Difference between revisions

'''Marielle de Sarnez''' ({{IPA-fr|ma.ʁjɛl də saʁ.nɛz|lang}}; 27 March 1951{{spnd}}13 January 2021) was a French politician of the centrist [[Democratic Movement (France)|Democratic Movement]] party (MoDem). She was a member of the [[European Parliament]] from 1999 to 2017, when she became [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (France)|Minister for European Affairs]] in the [[First Philippe government|government]] of [[Prime Minister of France|Prime Minister]] [[Édouard Philippe]] in May 2017. She resigned after a month due to a scandal involving alleged payment for work she didn'tdid not doperform, but was elected a few days later to represent the [[Paris's 11th constituency|Paris 11th constituency]] in the [[National Assembly]] on the center-right [[La République En Marche!]] slate. She was a committed Europeanist as well as centrist, pushing MoDem to resist currents on each end of the political spectrum. She was a longtime collaborator ofwith MoDem President and three-time candidate for the French Presidency, [[François Bayrou]].

Marielle de Sarnez was born in the [[8th arrondissement of Paris]]<ref name=":2" /> on 27 March 1951 and grew up in an aristocratica family intimatelywith close tiedties to the French political establishment.<ref name=":0" /> From 1961 to 1967, her [[Gaullism|Gaullist]] father Olivier de Sarnez, who had been in the [[French Resistance]], was chief of staff to [[Roger Frey]], Interior Minister, and her mother was responsible for floral arrangements at the [[Élysée Palace]].<ref name=":0" /> Nevertheless<!-- Sources consistently contrast her ‘68 activism with her conservative parents, so this adverb reflects that --> the young de Sarnez was swept up injoined the [[May 68|May 1968]] protests while still a high school student, kicked out of [[Lycée Sainte-Marie de Passy]] Catholic girls school<ref name=":5">{{Cite news|last=Fontaine|first=Caroline|date=March 8, 2007|title=Marielle de Sarnez, celle qui a fait Bayrou|language=fr|work=Paris Match|issue=3016|url=https://www.parismatch.com/Actu/Politique/Marielle-de-Sarnez-la-femme-qui-a-fait-Bayrou-2007-portrait-1720473|url-status=live|access-date=January 14, 2021}}</ref> and participating in the occupation of neighboring boys school [[Lycée Jean-Baptiste-Say|Lycée Jean-Baptiste Say]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Death of Marielle de Sarnez - Communiqué from the French Presidency (Elysée Palace, 14 Jan. 2021)|url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/the-ministry-and-its-network/news/2021/article/death-of-marielle-de-sarnez-communique-from-the-french-presidency-elysee-palace|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=14 January 2021|website=France Diplomacy - Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs|language=en}}</ref> (Her father was elected toas the Deputy to the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] on the Gaullist conservative [[Union of Democrats for the Republic]]—UDR—ticket a month later.)<ref name=":5" /> After earning her baccalaureate from [[Lycée La Fontaine (Paris)|Lycée La Fontaine]],<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Roger|first=Patrick|date=2007-02-27|title=Marielle de Sarnez la particule élémentaire des centristes|language=fr|work=Le Monde|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2007/02/27/marielle-de-sarnez-la-particule-elementaire-des-centristes_876798_3224.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-15}}</ref> de Sarnez next struck out on her own, preferringbegan working in retail to continuing her studies.<ref name=":0" />

ByIn 1973, the political world came calling, and [[Ladislas Poniatowski|Ladislas Wroblewski]], who cofounded the [[Independent Republicans]] (RI) party with [[Valéry Giscard d'Estaing]], offered herde Sarnez a part-time role as secretary of the Young RI arm.<ref name=":0" /> HereAt RI, she met contemporaries among the Young Giscardians who became major figures—[[Jean-Pierre Raffarin]], who went on to become [[Prime Minister of France|Primeprime Ministerminister]],; [[Dominique Bussereau]], who became president of the {{ill|Assembly of the Departments of France|fr|Assemblée des départements de France}},; and eventual Minister of Justice [[Pascal Clément]].<ref name=":0" /> Giscard d'Estaing was elected [[President of France|Presidentpresident]] the next year<ref name=":1" /> and de Sarnez rose quickly through the ranks.<ref name=":0" /> The movement and her place in it initially felt modern to deDe Sarnez, but she wasgrew disappointed by the rightward turn, especially the [[Anti-abortion movements|anti-abortion]] politics, taken bythat the new Administrationadministration aopted, and wished Giscard d'Estaing had taken the opportunity to break from the right-wing UDR (predecessor to the Rally for the Republic, RPR) and form a majority government without them—failurethem. Failure to do so, she later said, left the Giscardians "hostages" to the right.<ref name=":4" /> Together with de Sarnez's early dedication to the European cause, [[Simone Veil]] tookoffered noticede and offered herSarnez a slot on her list for the [[1979 French European elections|European elections in 1979]] (when Veil, renown French political figure and abortion rights advocate, became Presidentpresident of the [[European Parliament]]).<ref name=":4" /> De Sarnez, who had a ten-month-old daughter and a son on the way,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Fitoussi|first=Michèle|date=2021-01-14|title=Marielle de Sarnez : la belle au Centre|url=https://www.elle.fr/Societe/Les-enquetes/La-Belle-au-centre-94686|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Elle|language=fr}}</ref> declined at that time, later saying she was glad to have waited for a more compatible political partner.<ref name=":4" />

Giscard d'Estaing was defeated in the [[1981 French presidential election]]. andDe whileSarnez thislater wassaid athat setback as a member of the Giscard camp, de Sarnez said laterdid she wasdid not entirely regretful aboutregret the political changes brought by President [[François Mitterrand]], of the Socialist Party (PS).<ref name=":4" />

FacingIn the evolving post-'68 political landscape1978, in 1978 de Sarnez was a cofounder ofco-founded the [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF), aimed at developing a center-right coalition to back Giscard d'Estaing and provide a counterweight to the Gaullist right.<ref name=":1" /> From 1986 to 1989, she served as special advisor to the chair of the UDF group in the [[National Assembly]], [[Jean-Claude Gaudin]].<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=18 May 2016|title=CVs of MEPs – 7th legislative term|url=https://www.asktheeu.org/fr/request/2813/response/9923/attach/html/4/CV%207th%20legislative%20term.pdf.html|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-16|website=www.asktheeu.org|publisher=European Parliament}}</ref>

In this milieu she met [[François Bayrou]], with whom she worked closely for the next 40 years, despite their outward differences—her Parisian aristocratic background and lack of formal higher education contrasting with his academic credentials (Bayrou is [[agrégée]] in letters), earned in the Catholic provinces.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /> The two became close working on [[Raymond Barre]]'s campaign for President in 1988 and were soon inseparable, working hand in glove as his political star rose.<ref name=":5" /> "Elle, c'est moi, et moi, c'est elle" ("I'm her and she is me") he told those who occasionally tried to drive a wedge between them.<ref name=":0" /> When Bayrou became Secretary General of the UDF in 1989, she joined him as his deputy, then likewise at the Ministry of National Education (1993 to 1997) in the government of [[Alain Juppé|Alain Juppé.]] Initially she was an adviser, but then became Director of his Private Office, the first French woman to hold such a senior role without a degree from the [[École nationale d'administration]], the exclusive training ground for high-level government officials.<ref name=":1" /> From 1997 to 1998, she was the secretary-general of the UDF group in the National Assembly.<ref name=":7" /> After the [[Plural Left]] won the 1997 legislative elections, in 1989 through 1993 de Sarnez became Secretary-General of the opposition general assembly, while Bayrou was President of UDF.<ref name=":7" /> She went on to become national secretary of the UDF, from 2003 to 2007.<ref name=":7" />

De Sarnez, who earned a reputation as an outstanding organizer—Raffarin described her as a "gifted politician"<ref name=":5" />—also served as campaign manager for Bayrou's [[2002 French presidential election|2002]], [[2007 French presidential election|2007]] and [[2012 French presidential election|2012 presidential campaigns]].<ref name=":1" /> Each time, Bayrou, a center-right candidate running under the UDF banner, failed to advance to the second (final) round. In 2002, they earned 6.84% of the first-round vote, a fourth-place finish while the neo-Gaullist right-wing (RPR) and extreme-right (National Front, FN) candidates [[Jacques Chirac]] and [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]], respectively, advanced, and. alongAlong with much of the political establishment, Bayrou threw his support behind Chirac.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news|last=Ollivier|first=Enora|date=2017-02-22|title=Les trois présidentielles de François Bayrou|language=fr|work=Le Monde|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/election-presidentielle-2017/article/2017/02/22/les-trois-presidentielles-de-francois-bayrou_5083376_4854003.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-15}}</ref> In 2007, it was 18.57% ([[Nicolas Sarkozy]], a right-wing candidate then running with the [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (UMP) and Socialist Party (PS) candidate [[Ségolène Royal]] advanced) and 9.13% in 2012 (Sarkozy and PS candidate [[François Hollande]] advanced).<ref name=":0" /> The 2007 election loss nevertheless<!-- Another instance where sources emphasize the unexpected nature of what came out of the loss, so “nevertheless” is meant to reflect that --> marked a significant turning point, as Bayrou announced publicly he would not vote for Sarkozy, breaking from the dominant right-wing UMP to form the centrist [[Democratic Movement (France)|Democratic Movement]] (MoDem).<ref name=":0" /> While this finally achieved de Sarnez's long-sought from freedom for their centrist movement, removing it from the thumb of the dominant right, this came at a high price. The UMP's successor the Republicans (LR) blamed Bayrou (and retaliated) for Sarkozy's loss and a number of UDF members split to create the [[New Centre]] party to support Sarkozy,<ref name=":3" /> leaving only three MoDem deputies in the National Assembly, including Bayrou, not enough to form their own group in the legislature.<ref name=":3" /> Ex-comrades accused de Sarnez, seen as Bayrou's keeper, of having creating a vacuum around Bayrou.<ref name=":0" />—a A 2007 profile in ''[[Le Monde]]'' describes de Sarnez's role with Bayrou: "Nothing is done without her consent."<ref name=":4" />

While shede Sarnez made her name as "the woman who made Bayrou",<ref name=":5" /> he also encouraged her to strike out as a candidate herself, insisting, "She's not a number two. She's a number one."<ref name=":5" /> Devoted to the cause of a unified Europe, she began her elected career in 1999 as a Membermember of the [[European Parliament]] (MEP) for [[Île-de-France (European Parliament constituency)|Île-de-France]], heading the UDF list in 2004 and serving until 2017.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0" /> A member of the UDF before 2008 and [[Democratic Movement (France)|MoDem]] after 2008, de Sarnez served as vice-chair of the [[Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe]], and sat on the [[European Parliament]]'s [[Committee on Culture and Education]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=6ème législature {{!}} Marielle DE SARNEZ {{!}} Députés {{!}} Parlement européen|url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/meps/fr/4335/MARIELLE_DE+SARNEZ/history/6|access-date=2021-01-15|website=www.europarl.europa.eu|language=fr}}</ref> She was in the forefront for [[Orange Revolution]] in [[Ukraine]], and it inspired the choice to make orange the signature color of MoDem.<ref name=":0" /> She also took a particular interest in the EU's [[Erasmus Mundus]], expanding on the popular [[Erasmus Programme|Erasmus program]] (an acronym for "European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students", which allowed EU students to enroll in higher education programs anywhere in Europe) to create opportunities for students outside Europe to study in its universities as well.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2003-12-12|title=Interview news: MEP Marielle De Sarnez is confident that Erasmus Mundus will be a success story|url=https://www.euractiv.com/section/economy-jobs/news/interview-news-mep-marielle-de-sarnez-is-confident-that-erasmus-mundus-will-be-a-success-story/|access-date=2021-01-16|website=EURACTIV |language=en-GB}}</ref> In the contentious {{ill|2005 French referendum on the European Constitution|lt=2005 French referendum|fr|Référendum français sur le traité établissant une constitution pour l'Europe}} on ratifying the [[European Constitution]], de Sarnez wassupported a supporter, and evenratification. thoughAlthough the measure failed, reveledde inSarnez praised the "democratic moment" of the entire nation reading and debating the finer points of the dense political text.<ref name=":4" /> In 2009, she published a short book called ''Petit dictionnaire pour faire aimer l'Europe—AEurope'' (''A Brief Dictionary for Loving Europe''). The book covers 80-odd subjects in 250 pages, appealing to a vision of Europe that centers equity in its relationship with the rest of the world.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roger|first=Patrick|date=2009-05-15|title="Petit dictionnaire pour faire aimer l'Europe", de Marielle de Sarnez, une euro-enthousiaste|language=fr|work=Le Monde.fr|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/livres/article/2009/05/15/petit-dictionnaire-pour-faire-aimer-l-europe-de-marielle-de-sarnez_1193548_3260.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-16}}</ref>

De Sarnez was alsoa substitute for the [[Committee on Foreign Affairs (EU)|Committee on Foreign Affairs]], a member of the delegation for relations with [[South Africa]], and a substitute for the delegation to the [[European Union|EU]]&ndash;[[Chile]] Joint Parliamentary Committee. In 2016, she served as the parliament's [[rapporteur]] on a plan to lend [[Tunisia]] €500 million on favourable terms to help it reduce its external debt and consolidate its democratic mechanisms.<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/20160603IPR30211/MEPs-approve-%E2%82%AC500m-in-fresh-EU-loans-to-Tunisia MEPs approve €500m in fresh EU loans to Tunisia] [[European Parliament]], press release of 8 June 2016.</ref> In addition to her committee assignments, de Sarnez was a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights.<ref>[http://www.europarl.europa.eu/pdf/intergroupes/VIII_LEG_04_Childrens_rights.pdf Members of the European Parliament Intergroup on Children's Rights] [[European Parliament]].</ref>

In May 2017, de Sarnez left the European Parliament whenupon sheher wasappointment appointedas French Minister for European Affairs.<ref>[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-government-ministers-idUSKCN18D1SA?il=0 Factbox: Ministers in new French government] ''[[Reuters]]'', 17 May 2017.</ref> Scandal shortly followed, via reportingReporting from ''[[Le Canard enchaîné]]'' shortly thereafter alleged that de Sarnez had been paid for work she had not actually done, embroiling her and Bayrou in a fictitious jobs scandal.<ref>{{Cite news|date=13 June 2017|title=L'ex-secrétaire de François Bayrou citée dans l'affaire MoDem|language=fr|work=Marianne|url=https://www.marianne.net/politique/l-ex-secretaire-de-francois-bayrou-citee-dans-l-affaire-modem|access-date=9 August 2017}}</ref> Prosecutors opened an investigation into whether assistants to de Sarnez as an MEP had actually been paid for work done for the MoDem party in Paris.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Briançon|first=Pierre|date=20 June 2017|title=Ethics probes hijack Macron's 'moralizing' presidency|url=https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-ethics-probes-hijack-moralizing-presidency/|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=15 January 2021|website=POLITICO|language=en-US}}</ref> Both she and Bayrou (the new [[Minister of Justice (France)|Minister of Justice]]) resigned,<ref name=":0" /> just before the [[2007 French legislative election|2017 legislative election]] in which de Sarnez was a candidate with [[Emmanuel Macron]]'s newly formed party, [[La République En Marche!]]<ref name=RFI>{{Cite web|date=14 January 2021|title=Tributes pour in for French centrist MP Mareille de Sarnez|url=https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20210114-tributes-pour-in-from-across-france-s-political-spectrum-for-centrist-mp-mareille-de-sarnez|access-date=14 January 2021|website=RFI|language=en}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Édouard Philippe]] announcingannounced that Bayrou would not be a part of the government.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Boichot|first=Loris|date=21 June 2017|title=François Bayrou et Marielle de Sarnez quittent le gouvernement|language=fr-FR|work=Le Figaro|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2017/06/21/01002-20170621ARTFIG00053-francois-bayrou-et-marielle-de-sarnez-quittent-le-gouvernement.php|access-date=9 August 2017|issn=0182-5852}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=21 June 2017|title=DIRECT. La ministre des Affaires européennes, Marielle de Sarnez, quitte le gouvernement, dans la foulée du départ de François Bayrou|language=fr-FR|work=Franceinfo|url=http://www.francetvinfo.fr/politique/modem/assistants-parlementaires-du-modem/francois-bayrou-le-ministre-de-la-justice-annonce-qu-il-quitte-le-gouvernement-suivez-notre-direct_2246839.html|access-date=9 August 2017}}</ref> On 21 June 2017, [[Nathalie Loiseau]] succeeded de Sarnez as the minister for European affairs.<ref name="lefigdelenaa">{{cite news|last1=Paolini|first1=Esther|date=21 June 2017|title=Nathalie Loiseau, de l'ENA aux Affaires européennes|work=[[Le Figaro]]|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/politique/2017/06/21/01002-20170621ARTFIG00387-nathalie-loiseau-de-l-ena-aux-affaires-europeennes.php|accessdate=22 June 2017}}</ref>

Despite the timing of the scandal, de Sarnez, who was also a Councillorcouncillor (joint RPR-UDF slate) for the [[14th arrondissement of Paris]]<ref name=":2" /> from 2001 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2020,<ref name=":1" /> was elected Deputy to the [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] for the 11th constituency of Paris on 18 June 2017.<ref name="Election2017results">{{cite news|author=Express|title=Résultats des élections législatives 2017 Paris - 11ème circonscription|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/politique/elections/legislatives-2017/resultats-elections/departement-paris-75/11eme-circonscription.html|accessdate=18 February 2019}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> She became chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee,<ref name=":1" /> serving in that capacity from 2017 to 2021. On 31 May 2019, she led a delegation of the committee on a visit to the [[Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria]] and the [[Syrian Democratic Council]] in [[Ayn Issa]].<ref>{{cite web|date=1 June 2019|title=French delegation reveals its purpose to visit AA's areas|url=https://hawarnews.com/en/haber/french-delegation-reveals-its-purpose-to-visit-aas-areas-h9374.html|work=[[Hawar News Agency]]}}</ref> After de Sarnez’s death in 2021, she was succeeded as deputy by {{ill|Maud Gatel|fr}}.<ref>{{cite news|url = https://actu.fr/ile-de-france/paris_75056/mort-de-marielle-de-sarnez-maud-gatel-devient-deputee-de-paris_38705377.html|title = Mort de Marielle de Sarnez : Maud Gatel devient députée de Paris|lang = fr|date = 14 January 2021|accessdate = 14 January 2021|last = Louvet|first = Simon|work = actuParis}}</ref>

De Sarnez married (later divorced) another Young Giscardian [[Philippe Augier]] (later Mayor of [[Deauville]]) and had two children, circa 1979.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":5" /> She separated from Augier in 1988.<ref name=":6" /> A private person, de Sarnez kept a small circle of friends and strictly enforced her preference that her personal life stay out of the media spotlight.<ref name=":5" /> She was known for her "uniform" of jeans and [[Converse (shoe company)|Converse]] sneakers.<ref name=":5" />