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Édith Cresson (; née Campion; born 27 January 1934) is a French politician from 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 ...
. 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, when Élisabeth Borne was appointed. Other than her breakthrough gender role, Cresson’s term was uneventful. Her political career ended in scandal as a result of corruption charges dating from her tenure as European Commissioner for Research, Science and Technology.


French Prime Minister

Cresson was appointed to the prime ministerial post by President
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 ...
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 Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the econ ...
' poor showing in 1992's regional elections. Her premiership is one of the shortest in the history 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", led to charges of racism.Rone Tempest,
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
, 23. Juli 1991
Edith Cresson's Answer to TV Spoof: Hush Puppet! France's brutally frank premier says her caricature on one of the nation's most popular shows is sexist, unfair
(english)
Discussing the sexual activities of Anglo-Saxon males, she said: "Homosexuality seems strange to me. It's different and marginal. It exists more in the Anglo-Saxon tradition than the Latin one." In social policy, Cresson's government enacted the Urban Framework Act of 1991, which sought to ensure a "right to the city" for all citizens. The Act required "local bodies to provide living and dwelling conditions which will foster social cohesion and enable conditions of segregation to be avoided." The Cresson Government also placed considerable emphasis during its time in office on facilitating the international competitiveness of firms with under 500 employees. A law was passed in July 1991 which included several measures aimed at improving access of people with disabilities to housing, work places, and public buildings. In addition an Act of July 1991 on legal aid "gave the public (above all, foreigners who are lawfully domiciled in France) wider access to the courts." In January 1992, housing allowances were extended to all low-income households in cities with more than 100 000 inhabitants. Under a law of 10 July 1991, access to legal information “was also included as part of the legal aid system.” A water law was passed in January 1992 "to ensure the protection of water quality and quantity and aquatic ecosystems," and in February 1992 a law was passed to promote citizens' consultation. Cresson is a member of the
Council of Women World Leaders The Council of Women World Leaders, created in 1996, is a network of 83 current and former presidents and prime ministers. It is the only organization in the world dedicated to women heads of state and government. The council's Ministerial Initia ...
, 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 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 ...
, Cresson 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

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.The Court declares that Mrs Edith Cresson acted in breach of her obligations as a European commissioner
, 11 July 2006
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 Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ, french: Cour de Justice européenne), formally just the Court of Justice, is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European U ...
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."Court rules against ex-French PM Edith Cresson: Willing to extend benefits to personal friends The EU's top court has ruled that Edith Cresson, the former European commissioner and French prime minister, violated her official duties
''BBC News'' 11 July 2006
,
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 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 ...
, 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 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 ...
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 Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...
, 1983–1997 (Resignation). Reelected in 1989, 1995. Deputy-mayor of
Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...
, 1997–2008. Reelected in 2001. Municipal councillor of
Châtellerault Châtellerault (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Châteulrô/Chateleràud''; oc, Chastelairaud) is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in France. It is located in the northeast of the former province Poitou, and the re ...
, 1983–2008. Reelected in 1989, 1995, 2001. Mayor of
Thuré Thuré () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Vienne department The following is a list of the 266 communes of the Vienne department of France. ...
, 1977–1983. Municipal councillor of
Thuré Thuré () is a commune in the Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in western France. Demographics See also *Communes of the Vienne department The following is a list of the 266 communes of the Vienne department of France. ...
, 1977–1983.


Cresson's Cabinet, 15 May 1991 – 2 April 1992

Édith Cresson – Prime Minister *
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 Foreign Affairs *
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 Defense *
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– Minister of the Interior *
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, Budget, and Privatization *
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– Minister of Industry *
Martine Aubry Martine Louise Marie Aubry (; née Delors; born 8 August 1950) is a French politician. She was the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party (''Parti Socialiste'', or PS) from November 2008 to April 2012, and has been the Mayor of Lille (No ...
– Minister of Labour, Employment, and Vocational Training *
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– Minister of Justice * Lionel Jospin – Minister of National Education * Jack Lang – Minister of Culture and Communication * Louis Mermaz – Minister of Agriculture and Forests *
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– Minister of Environment *
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– Minister of Youth and Sports *
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– Minister of Overseas Departments and Territories * Paul Quilès – Minister of Transport, Housing, Space, and Equipment *
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– Minister of Relations with Parliament * Edwige Avice – Minister of Cooperation and Development *
Jean-Pierre Soisson Jean-Pierre Soisson (born 9 November 1934) is a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement. He was a deputy in the National Assembly of France for the first district of Yonne for several terms between 1968 and 2012; mayor of Auxerre ...
– Minister of Civil Service and Administrative Modernization *
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 City and Regional Planning * Hubert Curien – Minister of Research and Technology * Jean-Louis Bianco – Minister of Social Affairs and Integration


Personal life

Cresson is married and has two daughters.


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 *2006: ''Histoires françaises''. Monaco: Éditions du Rocher (autobiography)


References


Further reading

* Northcutt, Wayne, ed. "Cresson, Edith" in ''Historical Dictionary of the French Fourth and Fifth Republics, 1946–1991'' (Greenwood, 1992) pp 114–16. * Perry, Sheila. "Gender Difference in French PoliticalCommunication: From Handicap to Asset?." ''Modern & Contemporary France'' 13.3 (2005): 337-352. * Schemla, Élisabeth. ''Édith Cresson, la femme piégée'', Paris: Flammarion, 1993, ; argues her fate was largely due to the misogyny of the Socialist elites, the French political class, and the French media * Skard, Torild, "Edith Cresson" in ''Women of Power – Half a century of female presidents and prime ministers worldwide'', Bristol: Policy Press, 2014,


External links


Curriculum Vitae as Commissioner
*, ''TIME'', 29 March 1999
Q&A on the Commission’s position in the case of Ms Cresson
19 July 2004 , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Cresson, Edith 1934 births Living people People from Boulogne-Billancourt Prime Ministers of France French Ministers of Agriculture French European Commissioners Deputies of the 7th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 8th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 9th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Convention of Republican Institutions politicians Socialist Party (France) politicians Politicians from Île-de-France HEC Paris alumni Women prime ministers Women European Commissioners Women government ministers of France Women members of the National Assembly (France) Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite 20th-century women rulers 20th-century French women politicians Female heads of government