Bernard Cazeneuve

Bernard Guy Georges Cazeneuve(French:[bɛʁnaʁkaznœv];born 2 June 1963) is a French politician and lawyer who served asPrime Minister of Francefrom 6 December 2016 to 15 May 2017. He representedManche's5th constituencyin theNational Assemblyfrom1997to 2002 and again from 2007 to 2012, in addition to the department's4th constituencybriefly in 2012 and 2017. For most of his political career, he was a member of the centre-leftSocialist Party,but quit in 2022 after disagreeing with the party's decision to join anelectoral coalition agreementthat included the leftistLa France Insoumise.

Bernard Cazeneuve
Cazeneuve in 2018
Prime Minister of France
In office 6 December 2016 – 15 May 2017
President	François Hollande
Preceded by	Manuel Valls
Succeeded by	Édouard Philippe
Minister of the Interior
In office 2 April 2014 – 6 December 2016
Prime Minister	Manuel Valls
Preceded by	Manuel Valls
Succeeded by	Bruno Le Roux
Minister Delegate for the Budget
In office 19 March 2013 – 2 April 2014
Prime Minister	Jean-Marc Ayrault
Preceded by	Jérôme Cahuzac
Succeeded by	Christian Eckert
Minister Delegate for European Affairs
In office 16 May 2012 – 19 March 2013
Prime Minister	Jean-Marc Ayrault
Preceded by	Jean Leonetti
Succeeded by	Thierry Repentin
Memberof theNational Assembly
In office 16 June 2017 – 20 June 2017
Preceded by	Geneviève Gosselin-Fleury
Succeeded by	Sonia Krimi
Constituency	Manche's 4th constituency
In office 20 June 2012 – 21 July 2012
Preceded by	Claude Gatignol
Succeeded by	Geneviève Gosselin-Fleury
Constituency	Manche's 4th constituency
In office 20 June 2007 – 16 June 2012
Preceded by	Jean Lemière
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Constituency	Manche's 5th constituency
In office 12 June 1997 – 18 June 2002
Preceded by	Yves Bonnet
Succeeded by	Jean Lemière
Constituency	Manche's 5th constituency
MayorofCherbourg-Octeville
In office 19 March 2001 – 23 June 2012
Preceded by	Jean-Pierre Godefroy
Succeeded by	Jean-Michel Houllegate
MayorofOcteville
In office 25 June 1995 – 14 March 2000
Preceded by	André Poirier
Succeeded by	Jean-Pierre Godefroy(Mayor ofCherbourg-Octeville)
Departmental CouncillorofManche
In office 27 March 1994 – 28 January 1998
President	Pierre Aguiton
Constituency	Canton of Cherbourg-Octeville-Sud-Ouest
Personal details
Born	Bernard Guy Georges Cazeneuve (1963-06-02)2 June 1963 Senlis,France
Political party	La Convention (2023–present)
Other political affiliations	MRG(1985–1987) PS(1987–2022)
Spouse	Véronique Beau ​ ​ (m.1995;div.2012)​ ​ ​ (m.2015; died 2024)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Institut d'études politiques de Bordeaux
Occupation	Jurist•Lawyer•Politician
Signature

He was Mayor ofCherbourg-Octevillefrom2001to 2012. In 2012, he was appointedMinister Delegate for European Affairsin theAyrault government.A year later, Cazeneuve was namedMinister Delegate for the Budgetafter the resignation ofJérôme Cahuzac.In 2014, he was appointedMinister of the Interiorin theFirst Valls government,a role he retained with the formation of theSecond Valls government.In 2016, Cazeneuve was appointed prime minister by PresidentFrançois Hollande,afterManuel Vallsresigned to concentrate on his candidacy for the2017 presidential election.Following the election ofEmmanuel MacronasPresident of the French Republic,Cazeneuve resigned from office and returned to private practice. During the2024 French political crisis,Cazeneueve was reported to be the front-runner candidate for Prime Minister but was ultimately passed over in favor ofMichel Barnier.

Education and private career

Bernard Cazeneuve was born on 2 June 1963 inSenlis,Oise.His father was the head of theSocialist Partyin Oise, which gave him the opportunity to attend a meeting withFrançois Mitterrand.During his studies at theInstitut d'études politiques de Bordeaux,he led theYoung Radicals of the Leftmovement in theGirondedepartment. After graduating from the IEP de Bordeaux, he joined the Socialist Party.

Cazeneuve began his career as a legal adviser inGroupe Banque Populaire,before starting in politics. In 1991, he became a councillor in the cabinet ofThierry de Beaucé,Secretary of State for International Cultural Relations, then in 1992,Principal Private Secretaryfor Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsAlain Vivien.In 1993, he was appointedPrincipal Private Secretaryin the cabinet of Charles Josselin,Secretary of State for the Sea.That same year, he was named Secretary General of the Council on Boating and Nautical Sports.

Early political career

Member of the National Assembly for Manche

First term (1997–2002)

Rising in theSocialist Party,Cazeneuve moved in 1994 toOctevillein Manche department to put an end to local divisions in party politics, which had led to a loss of the mayor's office in 1989. That same year, he was electedGeneral Councillor.He held the position in the Manche department from 1994 to 1998.He was later elected mayor ofOctevillewhere he served from 1995 to 2000.In 1997, he was elected to theNational Assemblyrepresenting the5th constituencyofManche,campaigning on the issue of a "Greater Cherbourg", which would combine the sixcommunesof theCherbourgurban agglomeration. This issue went to referendum; it led to the combination of two communes, Cherbourg and Octeville.

Second term (2007–2012)

In 2007, Cazeneuve represented the Socialist Party in thelegislative electionfor the5th ConstituencyofManche,defeatingUMPcandidateJean Lemièrewith 58.96% of the vote. After this victory he resigned from his position with theRegional CouncilofLower Normandy.Then, facing divided opposition from the right in the2008 municipal elections,he retained his position as mayor ofCherbourg-Octeville.In his second term as mayor, he campaigned to promote the maritime character of the city, organising a nautical festival that featured an international sailing competition. He also focused on urban renewal of the Bassins and Provinces quarters ofCherbourg-Octeville,bringing together commercial and cultural projects.

On the national level, he represented the victims of the2002 Karachi bus bombing,who were mostly fromCotentin,against their employerDCNS.As Secretary of the Commission on National Defense in theNational Assembly,he was recorder between November 2009 and May 2010 of the Parliamentary inquiry into the Karachi attack. Due to the lack of government transparency regarding the Karachi case, Cazeneuve wrote a book titledKarachi, the impossible investigation.

After supporting no candidate in the2011 Socialist Party presidential primary,he was named as one of candidateFrançois Hollande's four spokespersons. He spoke to the media on issues related to industry and nuclear power, particularly the latter due to his role in not postponing the construction of a new reactor at theFlamanville Nuclear Power Plantand the reprocessing of nuclear waste at theLa Hague site.

Mayor of Cherbourg-Octeville

Cazeneuve was elected to head the new commune ofCherbourg-Octevillein 2001,succeedingJean-Pierre Godefroyand defeating theRally for the Republic(RPR) candidate Jean Lemière. His political ascent was interrupted by a defeat for reelection to his seat in theNational Assemblyin the2002 elections.

At the same time, he pursued a judicial career, being named a judge to theHigh CourtandCour de Justice de la Républiqueduring his term as a member of theNational Assembly.He was called to the bar ofCherbourg-Octevillein 2003.

In 2004,François Hollandeconvinced Cazeneuve to join theSocialist Partyelectoral list for the2004 regional elections,representing theManchedepartment in the Regional Council ofLower Normandy,afterJean-Pierre Godefroywithdrew from consideration. His strong favour for nuclear energy, particularly the construction of a newnuclear reactoron theCotentin,caused a rift between the Socialist Party andThe Greens,who allied with theRadical Party of the Leftin the first round of the regional election. After the victory of the Socialist Party, led byPhilippe Duron,Cazeneuve was appointed first Vice-President of theRegional Counciland President of the Regional Norman Tourism Committee, comprising theregionsofUpperandLower Normandy.

In 2005 he supported the "no" vote on theTreaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.Between 2006 and 2008 Cazeneuve worked for a Paris law firm, August & Debouzy, in their "Public, Regulation, and Competition" practice.

Presidency of François Hollande

Minister Delegate for European Affairs

Cazeneuve inLatvia,2012

Mentioned as a potential minister, notably for theDefenseportfolio, he was named on 16 May 2012 as Minister Delegate for European Affairs, serving underLaurent Fabiusin theMinistry of Foreign Affairs.

In the2012 legislative electionshe was re-elected to theNational Assemblyin the newly redrawn 4thConstituencyofManche,withGeneviève Gosselin,the deputy mayor ofCherbourg-Octeville,as his alternate. He won the election in June with 55.39% of the vote, but had to resign to assume his post in the new government, leading to Gosselin becoming the new deputy to theNational Assembly.He also resigned as mayor ofCherbourg-Octeville,with the position being taken byJean-Michel Houllegatte.As minister, he was tasked with defending the 2012European Fiscal Compactto Socialist deputies in theNational Assembly.

Minister Delegate for the Budget

On 19 March 2013, he was namedMinister Delegate for the Budgetafter the resignation ofJérôme Cahuzac,who was accused of fraud. He was replaced as Junior Minister for European Affairs byThierry Repentin,formerly Minister of State for Professional Training and Apprenticeship. He affirmed a policy of reducing thedeficitto save 5 billion euros from the national budget for 2014. He intervened personally in theNational Assemblyto bury an amendment enlarging the tax base for a proposed tax on transactions forhigh frequency trading,one ofFrançois Hollande's campaign promises. He also proposed an amendment to increase thevalue added taxon equestrian activities from 7% to 20%, called the "equitax", which encountered strong opposition from professionals and amateurs in the equestrian world.

Minister of the Interior

Bernard Cazeneuve visitingToulouse's main police station

Cazeneuve inAmsterdamwith Dutch Justice MinisterArd van der Steur(right) and State SecretaryKlaas Dijkhoff(left), 2016

On 2 April 2014, Cazeneuve was named Minister of the Interior in theFirst Valls Government.In January 2015, he directed the response to theÎle-de-France attacks.

During a vote on a counter-terrorism law, he proposed an amendment that would give authority to demand that search engines de-list certain website without the approval of a judge. In July 2015, he proposed a reform to the rights of foreigners in France, which would fundamentally change policies concerning entry and length of stay.

As a spokesman for France after 18 November 2015 killing of the suspected mastermind of the terrorists responsible for theNovember 2015 Paris attacks,Cazeneuve told the press thatAbdelhamid Abaaoud,a Moroccan who was a Belgian national who had visited Syria, "played a decisive role" in the Paris attacks and played a part in four of six terror attacks foiled since spring, with one alleged jihadist claiming Abaaoud had trained him personally.

Cazeneuve said that he would be meeting with EU ministers on 20 November in Brussels to discuss how to deal with terrorism across the territory because "cooperation in the fight against terrorism is crucial" in the European Union. "We have to move quickly and strongly. Europe must do it while thinking about the victims of terrorism and their loved ones."

Reports after that meeting indicated that all EU citizens entering or leaving the free-travel area, known as Schengen, should undergo "systematic" screening against pan-European databases. "Terrorists are crossing the borders of the European Union", said Cazeneuve. Indeed, all of the known Paris attackers were EU nationals, who crossed borders without difficulty although they were registered as terrorism suspects, according toThe Guardian.Cazeneuve, said the clampdown on borders would take effect immediately. This would be on a temporary basis until the European commission modified the Schengen rules to make the new borders regime mandatory and obligatory; that could take months to enact.

Prime Minister of France

Valls announced on 6 December 2016 that, as the likely candidate for the Socialist Party in thepresidential election,he would resign to concentrate on campaigning.Cazeneuve was appointed by outgoing President Hollande to replace Valls.The appointment was considered difficult, since it resulted in a change of leadership in the Interior Ministry at a time when theFrench terror alertwas at its highest level.Cazeneuve officially resigned on 10 May 2017, after the official announcement of the results of the presidential election.His tenure as prime minister, at five months and four days, is the shortest in the history of the Fifth Republic. He was replaced byÉdouard Philippe,nominated by new PresidentEmmanuel Macron.

Later career

After leaving Matignon, he returned to his private law practice.In 2022, Cazeneuve resigned from the Honorary Board ofFight Impunity,a Brussels-based human rights NGO, following corruption allegations against its founder,Antonio Panzeri.

That same year, Cazeneuve resigned from the Socialist Party over leaderOlivier Faure'sagreement to run a joint electoral list withJean-Luc Mélenchon'sLa France Insoumise,known as theNouvelle Union populaire écologique et sociale(New People's Ecologic and Social Union, or NUPES), feeling that Mélenchon's party and traditional French social democracy were incompatible.In September 2022, he wrote a manifesto calling for a "social-democratic, republican, humanist and ecological left", away from Mélenchon and NUPES.It was signed by 400 current and former members of the Socialist Party. In early 2023, he announced "La Convention" (The Convention), a political movement espousing those values.It held its first meeting on 10 June 2023, where Cazeneuve was joined by François Hollande, as well as formerSocial Democratic Party of GermanyleaderMartin Schulzand formerItalian Democratic Partyand prime minister leaderEnrico Letta.

On 12 November 2023, he took part in theMarch for the Republic and Against Antisemitismin Paris in response to therise of anti-Semitism in Francesince the start of theIsrael–Hamas war.

Following the2024 French legislative election,France experienced months of political deadlock, during which PresidentEmanuel Macronconsidered various candidates for the position ofPrime Minister.The left-wing allianceNew Popular Front(NFP), which secured apluralityof votes, nominatedLucie Castetsfor the role. However, in August 2024,Le Mondereported that Cazeneuve was among the front-runners.His candidacy sparked controversy with the NFP, with members ofLa France Insoumise(LFI) condemning it as a "total betrayal of millions of voters".Meaning, others, including Socialist Paris MayorAnne Hidalgo,supported Cazeneuve and criticised theSocialist Partyleadership for obstructing his nomination.Eventually, Macron appointed conservativeMichel Barnieras the head of acoalition government.

Personal life

Cazeneuve had a wife, Véronique, with whom he had two children.The couple divorced but remarried on 12 August 2015 inAiguines.She was an editor at Éditions À dos d'âne, a publisher ofyoung adult fiction.They resided inDomaine du Lys-Chantilly,a tree-lined community inOisenot far from Paris. She died in June 2024.

He was a business lawyer from 2006 to 2008.

Works

• Cazeneuve, Bernard (1993).Première manche: chronique politique et littéraire.Cherbourg: Isoète.ISBN978-2-905385-49-9.OCLC30948346.
• Cazeneuve, Bernard (1994).La Politique retrouvée.Cherbourg: Isoète.ISBN978-2-905385-57-4.OCLC32919541.
• Cazeneuve, Bernard (2005).La responsabilité du fait des produits: en France et en Europe.Paris: Dunod.ISBN978-2-10-048354-9.OCLC420584348.
• Cazeneuve, Bernard (2011).Karachi, l'enquête impossible.Paris: Calmann-Lévy.ISBN978-2-7021-4219-6.OCLC721821135.