François Baroin

François Claude Pierre René Baroin (born 21 June 1965, in Paris) is a French lawyer and politician of the Republicans (LR) who served as Finance Minister from 2011 to 2012, following a stint as Minister of the Budget in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon. He was a long-time ally of Jacques Chirac and is currently the mayor of Troyes.

François Baroin
Mayor of Troyes
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 June 1995
Preceded by	Robert Galley
Senator
In office 1 October 2014 – 1 October 2017
Preceded by	Yann Gaillard
Succeeded by	Évelyne Perrot
Constituency	Aube
Minister of Finance
In office 29 June 2011 – 10 May 2012
Prime Minister	François Fillon
Preceded by	Christine Lagarde
Succeeded by	Pierre Moscovici
Minister of the Budget
In office 21 March 2010 – 29 June 2011
Prime Minister	François Fillon
Preceded by	Éric Wœrth
Succeeded by	Valérie Pécresse
Minister of the Interior
In office 26 March 2007 – 18 May 2007
Prime Minister	Dominique de Villepin
Preceded by	Nicolas Sarkozy
Succeeded by	Michèle Alliot-Marie
Government Spokesperson of France
In office 14 November 2010 – 29 June 2011
Preceded by	Luc Chatel
Succeeded by	Valérie Pécresse
In office 17 May 1995 – 7 November 1995
Preceded by	Philippe Douste-Blazy
Succeeded by	Alain Lamassoure
Minister for Overseas
In office 2 June 2005 – 26 March 2007
Preceded by	Brigitte Girardin
Succeeded by	Hervé Mariton
Member of the National Assembly for Aube's 3rd constituency
In office 28 March 1993 – 30 September 2014
Preceded by	Michel Cartelet
Succeeded by	Gérard Menuel
Personal details
Born	21 June 1965 Paris, France
Political party	Republicans (2015–present)
Other political affiliations	Rally for the Republic (Before 2002) Union for a Popular Movement (2002–2015)
Alma mater	Panthéon-Assas University Higher Institute of Management

Early life and education

Baroin was born in the 12th arrondissement of Paris to an upper-class family.[1] His father Michel Baroin was a student friend of Chirac’s who went on to become a leading freemason, chairman of retailer Fnac and the insurer GMF, and a powerful local politician.[2]

Baroin studied at Collège Stanislas de Paris[3] before moving to ISG Business School and Panthéon-Assas University.[4]

Early career

Baroin started his career as a political correspondent for Europe 1 from 1988 until 1992.[5][6]

Political career

In 1992, at Chirac’s behest, Baroin joined his party Rally for the Republic (RPR).[7] He became a member of the National Assembly in the 1993 elections – where he served on the Committee on Legal Affairs –[8] and the mayor of Troyes, a mid-sized city west of Paris, two years later.[9]

Baroin was appointed Chirac’s campaign spokesman in the 1995 French presidential election.[10] Following the elections, he became first state secretary and government spokesman under Prime Minister Alain Juppé and then, after a reshuffle, a political aide to the president.[11]

Returning to parliament, Baroin was a member of the National Assembly's Finance Committee (1997-2001), the Committee on Cultural Affairs (2001-2002) and the Committee on Legal Affairs (2002-2005).[12] He also served as the Assembly's vice-president between 2002 and 2005.[13]

In the government led by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, Baroin served as Minister for Overseas Territories from June 2005 to March 2007 and was briefly Minister of the Interior from March to May 2007. He replaced Nicolas Sarkozy on 26 March 2007 as Interior Minister when Sarkozy left the Government to pursue his presidential candidacy. During his time as Minister of the Budget in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon from 2010 until 2011, Baroin successfully managed controversial dossiers such as wealth tax reform, the reduction of civil servants and the abolition of Sarkozy’s controversial tax cap for the rich.[14]

On 29 June 2011, Baroin was appointed Minister for the Economy, Finance and Industry in Fillon’s cabinet, replacing Christine Lagarde following her appointment as Director General of the International Monetary Fund.[15] At the time, he was one of three candidates discussed for the role, alongside Bruno Le Maire and Valérie Pécresse.[16] The appointment was seen as a tribute to Baroin’s presumed ability to sell austerity to the French public and to unpick the economic policy of the opposition Socialist Party.[17] During his brief time in office, he chaired the meetings of the Group of Eight ministers of finance when France held the group's presidency in 2011.[18]

From 2014, Baroin served as president of the France's Mayors Organization (Association des Maires de France), a powerful organization for more than 36,000 mayors in France.

Ahead of the 2017 French presidential election, Baroin played a central role in the campaign of François Fillon.[19] After Fillon was eliminated in the first round of voting, Baroin declared that he would vote for Emmanuel Macron in the runoff election and that he would be available as prime minister in a cohabitation;[20] however, Macron eventually chose Édouard Philippe for the post.

Career in the private sector

In 2018, Baroin joined the French investment banking business of Barclays as an external senior advisor.[21]

When Christian Jacob was elected chairman of the Republicans in 2019, he appointed Baroin as strategic advisor.[22] In 2020, Baroin was mentioned by news media as potential candidate for the 2022 French presidential election;[23] however, he declared in October 2020 that he would not run for president.[24][25]

Other activities

• European Investment Bank (EIB), Ex-Officio Member of the Board of Governors (2011-2012)[26]

Controversy

In 2015, WikiLeaks revealed that the U.S. National Security Agency wiretapped Baroin’s communication during his time as Minister of Finance.[27]

Personal life

Baroin married fellow journalist Valérie Broquisse in 1991 and they have three children.[28] Following their divorce, he was the partner of the journalist Marie Drucker until they separated in 2008.[29] In 2009, he was linked with Michèle Laroque.[30]

Overview

Governmental functions

Ministre of Economy, Finance and Industry : 2011–2012.

Government's Spokesman : 2010–2011.

Minister of Budget, Public Accounts and State Reform : 2010–2011.

Minister of Interior : March–May 2007.

Minister of Overseas Territories : 2005–2007.

Government's spokesman : May–November 1995.

Electoral mandates

Senate

Senator for Aube : since 2014.

National Assembly of France

Vice-president of the National Assembly of France : 2002–2005

Member of the National Assembly of France for Aube (3rd constituency) : 1993–1995 (Became government's spokesman in 1995) / 1997–2005 (Became minister in 2005) / 2007–2010 (Became minister in 2010) / 2012-2014 (elected as a senator). Elected in 1993, reelected in 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012.

Municipal Council

Mayor of Troyes : Since 1995. Reelected in 2001, 2008, 2014.

Municipal councillor of Troyes : Since 1995. Reelected in 2001, 2008, 2014.

Agglomeration community Council

President of the Agglomeration community of Troyes : Since 2001. Reelected in 2008, 2014.

Member of the Agglomeration community of Troyes : Since 2001. Reelected in 2008, 2014.

References

1. Vicky Buffery, John Irish, Brian Love and Nicholas Vinocur (November 10, 2010), Key players in likely French reshuffle Reuters.
2. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
3. Marie-Christine Tabet (September 12, 2010), François Baroin, d'un président l'autre Le Journal du Dimanche.
4. Rabreau, Marine (29 June 2011). "Baroin : neuf mois pour asseoir son parcours politique". Le Figaro Économie (in French).
5. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
6. Vicky Buffery, John Irish, Brian Love and Nicholas Vinocur (November 10, 2010), Key players in likely French reshuffle Reuters.
7. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
8. François Baroin National Assembly.
9. Vicky Buffery, John Irish, Brian Love and Nicholas Vinocur (November 10, 2010), Key players in likely French reshuffle Reuters.
10. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
11. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
12. François Baroin National Assembly.
13. François Baroin, new Governor for France European Investment Bank (EIB), press release of June 29, 2011.
14. Peggy Hollinger (June 29, 2011) Sarkozy prepares to name Lagarde successor Financial Times.
15. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13961538 BBC report on 29 June 2011 of Baroin's appointment to Ministry of Finance
16. Peggy Hollinger (June 29, 2011) Sarkozy prepares to name Lagarde successor Financial Times.
17. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
18. Liz Alderman (September 10, 2011), G-8 Nations Pledge New Aid to Arab Spring Economies New York Times.
19. Leigh Thomas (March 6, 2018), Barclays hires former French finance minister Baroin as advisor Reuters.
20. Baroin prêt à être premier ministre de Macron Le Figaro, April 26, 2017.
21. Leigh Thomas (March 6, 2018), Barclays hires former French finance minister Baroin as advisor Reuters.
22. Christine Ollivier (October 22, 2019), Les Républicains : François Baroin fait son retour dans les instances du parti Le Journal du Dimanche.
23. Victor Mallet (July 1, 2020), French centre-right faces identity crisis Financial Times.
24. Ludovic Vigogne (October 6, 2020), François Baroin ne sera pas candidat en 2022 mais ne va pas le dire publiquement L'Opinion.
25. Laureline Dupont (October 8, 2020), Comment Sarkozy et Darmanin ont débranché Baroin L'Express.
26. François Baroin, new Governor for France European Investment Bank (EIB), press release of June 29, 2011.
27. Leila Abboud and Gregory Blanchier (June 30, 2015) NSA wiretapped two French finance ministers: Wikileaks Reuters.
28. Gwynn James (October 26, 2011) Gaullist hopeful European Voice.
29. Média, Prisma. "Marie Drucker: avec François Baroin ce serait fini! - Gala". gala.fr.
30. "Villepin, un soir à Paris". lexpress.fr. 13 March 2009.