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Quick facts for kids Lionel Jospin
Jospin in 2014

Prime Minister of France
In office 2 June 1997 – 6 May 2002
President	Jacques Chirac
Preceded by	Alain Juppé
Succeeded by	Jean-Pierre Raffarin
Member of the Constitutional Council
In office 6 January 2015 – 11 March 2019
Appointed by	Claude Bartolone
President	Jean-Louis Debré Laurent Fabius
Preceded by	Jacques Barrot
Succeeded by	Alain Juppé
First Secretary of the Socialist Party
In office 14 October 1995 – 2 June 1997
Preceded by	Henri Emmanuelli
Succeeded by	François Hollande
In office 24 January 1981 – 14 May 1988
Preceded by	François Mitterrand
Succeeded by	Pierre Mauroy
Minister of National Education
In office 12 May 1988 – 2 April 1992
Prime Minister	Michel Rocard Édith Cresson
Preceded by	René Monory
Succeeded by	Jack Lang
Minister of Youth and Sport
In office 12 May 1988 – 16 May 1991
Prime Minister	Michel Rocard
Preceded by	Alain Calmat
Succeeded by	Frédérique Bredin

Personal details
Born	(1937-07-12) 12 July 1937 (age 88) Meudon, Seine-et-Oise, France
Political party	Socialist Party
Other political affiliations	Internationalist Communist Organisation (Historical)
Spouses	Élisabeth Dannenmuller (div). Sylviane Agacinski
Children	Eva and Hugo
Alma mater	Sciences Po École nationale d'administration
Signature

Lionel Robert Jospin (born 12 July 1937) is a French politician. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Jospin was the leader of the Socialist Party from 1995 to 1997. He ran for President of France in 1995 and 2002. In 1995, he almost won but was defeated by Jacques Chirac. In 2002, he did not make it to the final round of voting. After this, he said he would retire from politics. However, in 2015, he was appointed to the Constitutional Council, which is a special court in France.

About Lionel Jospin
- Early life and education
- Political journey
Prime Minister of France
- 2002 presidential election
- After his retirement
Political jobs held
Jospin's government: 2 June 1997 – 6 May 2002
Awards and recognition
- French honours
- International honours
Images for kids
See also

About Lionel Jospin

Early life and education

Lionel Robert Jospin was born on July 12, 1937, in Meudon, a suburb of Paris. His family was Protestant. He went to high school at Lycée Janson-de-Sailly. Later, he studied at two important French schools: Sciences Po and the École nationale d'administration (ÉNA). These schools train people for government jobs.

While he was a student, Jospin was active in the UNEF student union. He protested against the Algerian War (1954–1962). This was a war where Algeria fought for its independence from France. After his studies, he completed his military service in Germany.

Political journey

After finishing school in 1965, Jospin started working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He focused on economic cooperation.

In the 1960s, he joined a political group called the Internationalist Communist Organization (OCI). Later, in 1971, he joined the Socialist Party (PS). He became close to François Mitterrand, who later became president. In 1979, Jospin became the second most important person in the Socialist Party. When Mitterrand became president in 1981, Jospin became the party's First Secretary (leader).

From 1988 to 1992, Jospin served as the Minister of National Education. During this time, he made several changes to improve teacher training, schools, and universities. He also worked to increase teachers' salaries and improve technical education.

Jospin was a member of the National Assembly of France, representing Paris from 1978 to 1986. Then he represented Haute-Garonne from 1986 to 1988 and again from 1992 to 1993. In 1993, after his party lost many seats, he announced he would leave politics.

However, in 1995, he decided to run for president as the Socialist candidate. Many people thought he had little chance to win. But he did surprisingly well, coming in first in the first round of voting. He then lost by a small margin to Jacques Chirac in the final round. His strong performance helped the Socialist Party become a powerful force in French politics again. After the election, he became the party's First Secretary once more.

Jospin then formed a group with other left-wing parties. These included the French Communist Party, the Greens, and others. In 1997, President Chirac called for an early election for the National Assembly. Jospin's "Plural Left" coalition won the election. This meant Jospin became Prime Minister.

Prime Minister of France

Lionel Jospin with Jacques Chirac and Hubert Védrine, 2001.

Lionel Jospin served as Prime Minister from 1997 to 2002. This period was known as "cohabitation." This happens when the president and prime minister are from different political parties.

Even though he was a socialist, Jospin's government sold some state-owned companies. They also lowered some taxes, like the VAT (Value Added Tax) and income tax.

His government introduced the 35-hour workweek. This meant that a standard workweek was 35 hours instead of 39. They also created more health insurance for people with low incomes. This was called Couverture maladie universelle (CMU). It made healthcare a universal right in France.

Jospin's government also worked to:

Help more women get into politics.
Expand the social security system.
Create the PACS, which is a legal agreement for couples.
Reduce unemployment by 900,000 people.

The government also passed a "law against social exclusion" in 1998. This law aimed to fight poverty. It included measures like:

Helping people on low incomes earn more.
Making sure poor families had access to telephone, water, and electricity.
Increasing housing help and building more affordable homes.
Providing support for people with special problems finding jobs.

During his time, social benefits and the minimum wage increased. They also made the tax system fairer. For example, they reduced health insurance payments for employees. They also lowered income taxes for people with lower incomes.

Lionel Jospin and Romano Prodi, 2001.

In 2002, an "employment premium" was introduced. This gave money to low-wage earners. Funds were also provided to fix up public housing. The government also created a special fund to help protect pensions for older people. Spending on education and labor also increased significantly.

Many policies were put in place to help children. These included:

Teaching civics in secondary schools.
Financial support for parents with sick children.
Programs to help disabled children in schools.
Creating more childcare places.

The government also improved facilities and benefits for people with disabilities. They worked to make the justice system fairer. They also linked benefit payments to the cost of living.

A law in 2000 emphasized including people with disabilities in sports. Laws in 2001 and 2002 added physical appearance, age, and genetic traits as reasons not to discriminate against someone.

In 1999, a law was passed to provide care for people with terminal illnesses. The Solidarity and Urban Renewal Law (2000) required cities to have enough social housing. Other laws helped people get back to work and protected employees from discrimination.

The 'social modernization' bill helped fight bullying at work. It also made it harder for companies to use temporary contracts. It improved rules for layoffs and strengthened workers' rights.

New social benefits were introduced, like help for unemployed people over 60. There was also a home care allowance for people over 60. Paid paternity leave was also introduced.

The Jospin government also created a fund to help victims of asbestos. They also made it easier for some illegal immigrants to get legal residence. They worked to help long-term unemployed people find jobs. They also improved housing assistance and introduced a law on gender equality at work.

Overall, Jospin's government helped reduce differences in income and improve living standards for many people.

In foreign policy, Jospin generally let President Chirac handle things. However, in 2000, he spoke out against attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians.

2002 presidential election

Jospin ran for president again in 2002. The campaign focused a lot on crime. Many different left-wing candidates ran, which split the vote. As a result, Jospin finished third in the first round. He was behind Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen. This meant he could not go on to the second round of voting.

After this defeat, Jospin announced he would leave politics. He stepped down as Prime Minister. He has since commented on political issues sometimes. For example, he said he was against same-sex marriage. In 2005, he supported the idea of a European Constitution.

In 2006, Jospin considered running for president again in 2007. But when Ségolène Royal became popular, he decided not to run. He did not want to divide his party.

After his retirement

On July 14, 2012, President François Hollande announced that Jospin would lead a group. This group would look at rules for good behavior and ethics in French politics.

Political jobs held

Lionel Jospin, 2008.

Government roles

Prime Minister: 1997–2002.
Minister of State, Minister of National Education, Research and Sport: 1988.
Minister of State, Minister of National Education, Youth and Sport: 1988–1991.
Minister of State, Minister of National Education: 1991–1992.

Elected positions European Parliament

Member of European Parliament: 1984–1988.

National Assembly of France

Member of National Assembly of France for Paris (27th area): 1981–1986.
Member of National Assembly of France for Haute-Garonne (7th area): 1986–1988 / 1992–1993.

Regional Council

Regional councillor of Midi-Pyrénées: 1992–1997.

General Council

General councillor of Haute-Garonne: 1988–2002.

Municipal Council

Councillor of Paris: 1977–1986.

Party leadership

First Secretary of the Socialist Party (France) (Leader): 1981–1988 / 1995–1997.

Jospin's government: 2 June 1997 – 6 May 2002

Lionel Jospin – Prime Minister
Hubert Védrine – Minister of Foreign Affairs
Alain Richard – Minister of Defense
Jean-Pierre Chevènement – Minister of the Interior
Dominique Strauss-Kahn – Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry
Martine Aubry – Minister of Employment and Solidarity
Élisabeth Guigou – Minister of Justice
Claude Allègre – Minister of National Education, Research, and Technology.
Catherine Trautmann – Minister of Culture and Communication
Louis Le Pensec – Minister of Agriculture and Forests
Dominique Voynet – Minister of Environment and Regional Planning
Marie-George Buffet – Minister of Youth and Sport
Jean-Claude Gayssot – Minister of Transport, Housing, and Equipment
Daniel Vaillant – Minister of Relations with Parliament
Émile Zuccarelli – Minister of Civil Service, Reform of the State, and Decentralization
Nicole Péry – Secretary for State for Women

Changes during his term

October 20, 1998 – Jean Glavany became Minister of Agriculture and Forests.
November 2, 1999 – Christian Sautter became Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry.
March 28, 2000 – Laurent Fabius became Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industry. Jack Lang became Minister of National Education. Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg became Minister of Research and Technology. Catherine Tasca became Minister of Culture and Communication. Michel Sapin became Minister of Civil Service and Reform of the State.
August 29, 2000 – Daniel Vaillant became Minister of the Interior. Jean-Jack Queyranne became Minister of Relations with Parliament.
October 18, 2000 – Élisabeth Guigou became Minister of Employment and Solidarity. Marylise Lebranchu became Minister of Justice.
July 10, 2001 – Yves Cochet became Minister of Environment and Regional Planning.
February 25, 2002 – François Patriat became Minister of Agriculture and Forests.