Jean-Luc Reitzer (born 29 December 1951) is a French politician who served as the Member of the National Assembly for

Haut-Rhin's 3rd constituency The 3rd constituency of the Haut-Rhin is a French legislative constituency in the Haut-Rhin ''département''. Description Haut-Rhin's 3rd Constituency covers the southern portion of the département centred on the town of Altkirch however the ...

from 1988 to 2022.

Biography

Jean-Luc Reitzer studied at the Institut d'études politiques de Strasbourg (Institute of Political Studies of Strasbourg), where he graduated at the top of his class. He then entered the private sector and rose to become an executive of public relations at

PSA Peugeot Citroën Peugeot S.A., trading as Groupe PSA () (formerly PSA Peugeot Citroën from 1991 to 2016) was a French multinational automotive manufacturing company which produced automobiles and motorcycles under the Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhal ...

. While still at PSA Peugeot Citroën, he entered politics and became the deputy mayor of

Altkirch Altkirch (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The town is traditionally regarded as the capital of Sundgau. Etymology The name of the commune means ''old c ...

in the

Sundgau Sundgau ( or ; ) is a geographical territory in the southern Alsace region (Haut Rhin and Territoire de Belfort, Belfort), on the eastern edge of France. The name is derived from Alemannic German ''Sunt-Gau (territory), gowe'' ("South shire"), den ...

region in 1977. Reitzer then served as a general councillor of

Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (); Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; , . is a department in the Grand Est region, France, bordering both Germany and Switzerland. It is named after the river Rhine; its name means Upper Rhine. Haut-Rhin is the smaller and less pop ...

for the Canton of Altkirch from 1979 to 2002 and also became the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of the capital of Sundgau in 1983, in which position he served until 2017, when he resigned due to the law on the accumulation of mandates. Briefly serving on the

Regional Council of Alsace The Regional Council of Alsace (, ) was the regional council of the French region of Alsace from 1982 to 2015. As a result of reforms, the administrative region of Alsace merged with two other regions to form Grand Est, effective 1 January 20 ...

from 1986 to 1988, he was elected Member of the National Assembly for

in the

1988 French legislative election 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

s. Defining himself as a "

Gaullist Gaullism ( ) is a French political stance based on the thought and action of World War II French Resistance leader Charles de Gaulle, who would become the founding President of the Fifth French Republic. De Gaulle withdrew French forces from t ...

of progress," he joined the

Rally for the Republic The Rally for the Republic ( ; RPR ) was a Gaullist and conservative political party in France. Originating from the Union of Democrats for the Republic (UDR), it was founded by Jacques Chirac in 1976 and presented itself as the heir of Gaul ...

(RPR) and its successors, the

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement ( ; UMP ) was a Liberal conservatism, liberal-conservative List of political parties in France, political party in France, largely inspired by the Gaullism, Gaullist tradition. During its existence, the UMP was o ...

(UMP) and The Republicans (LR). In the National Assembly, Reitzer serves on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is also a member of the Study Group on the

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

Question, the

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

Parliamentary Friendship Group, the France-Djibouti Parliamentary Friendship Group, the France-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group and the French delegation to the

NATO Parliamentary Assembly The NATO Parliamentary Assembly serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It consists of delegates from the parliaments of the 32 NATO member countries as well as from associate ...

. Reitzer supported

Alain Juppé Alain Marie Juppé (; born 15 August 1945) is a French politician. A member of The Republicans, he was Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac, during which period he faced major strikes that paralysed the c ...

in the LR presidential primary of 2016. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the

2017 French legislative election Legislative elections in France, Legislative elections were held in France on 11 and 18 June 2017 (with different dates for voters overseas) to elect the 577 Member of Parliament (France), members of the 15th legislature of the French Fifth Rep ...

s with 55% of the vote, despite the general difficulties LR candidates faced in overcoming the " Macron wave" that year. In May 2018, Reitzer expressed concerns with the treatment of Members of the National Assembly in France, particularly with regards to the numerous regulations they must follow and widespread suspicion of their work. He proposed exploring the possibility of raising deputies' salaries, arguing that this would "combat temptations like corruption." Reitzer also claimed that "We now spend our time collecting fees and restaurant bills." His statements provoked a media frenzy and were widely debated on social media. On 5 March 2020, Reitzer was hospitalized in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

in a "worrying state" after testing positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

. After two and a half months, including one month in a

coma A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to Nociception, respond normally to Pain, painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal Circadian rhythm, sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate ...

, Reitzer was released from the hospital in May. He returned to the National Assembly in October, denouncing the "dysfunctions" of the French government's response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. On 6 May 2022, Reitzer announced to the regional press that he would not be running for an eighth term in the National Assembly in the 2022 legislative elections.

Electoral offices

* 1979–2022: General councillor of

(vice-president from 1998 to 2001) * 1977–1983: Deputy mayor of

, Haut-Rhin * 1983–2017: Mayor of Altkirch * 1986–1988: Regional councillor of Alsace * 1988–2022: Member of the National Assembly for

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reitzer, Jean-Luc 1951 births Living people People from Altkirch Rally for the Republic politicians Union for a Popular Movement politicians The Republicans (France) politicians Gaullism, a way forward for France Mayors of places in Grand Est Deputies of the 12th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 13th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 14th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 15th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic