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Élisabeth Borne
Elisabeth Borne November 2022 close-up.jpg
Borne in 2022
Minister of State
Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research
Assumed office
23 December 2024
Prime Minister François Bayrou
Preceded by Anne Genetet (National Education)
Patrick Hetzel (Higher Education and Research)
Member of the National Assembly
for Calvados's 6th constituency
Assumed office
10 February 2024
Preceded by Freddy Sertin
In office
22 June 2022 – 22 July 2022
Preceded by Alain Tourret
Succeeded by Freddy Sertin
Prime Minister of France
In office
16 May 2022 – 9 January 2024
President Emmanuel Macron
Preceded by Jean Castex
Succeeded by Gabriel Attal
Minister of Labour, Employment and Integration
In office
6 July 2020 – 16 May 2022
Prime Minister Jean Castex
Preceded by Muriel Pénicaud
Succeeded by Olivier Dussopt
Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition
In office
16 July 2019 – 6 July 2020
Prime Minister Édouard Philippe
Preceded by François de Rugy
Succeeded by Barbara Pompili
President of RATP
In office
21 May 2015 – 17 May 2017
Preceded by Pierre Mongin
Succeeded by Catherine Guillouard
Prefect of Vienne
In office
1 February 2013 – 23 April 2014
Preceded by Yves Dassonville
Succeeded by Christiane Barret
Personal details
Born
Élisabeth Borne

(1961-04-18) 18 April 1961 (age 64)
Paris, France
Political party Renaissance (2017–present)
Other political
affiliations
Territories of Progress (2020–2022)
Spouse
Olivier Allix
(m. 1989; div. 2008)
Children 1
Education École Polytechnique
École des ponts ParisTech
Collège des Ingénieurs
Signature

Élisabeth Borne (born 18 April 1961) is a French politician. She was the Prime Minister of France from May 2022 to January 2024. She is a member of President Emmanuel Macron's party, Renaissance. Élisabeth Borne was the second woman to become Prime Minister of France. The first was Édith Cresson, who served from 1991 to 1992. Since December 2024, she has been the Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research.

Before becoming Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne worked as a civil engineer and a government official. She also managed state-owned companies in transport and construction. She served as Minister of Transport (2017–2019) and Minister of Ecology (2019–2020). From 2020 to 2022, she was the Minister of Labour, Employment and Integration. President Macron chose her as Prime Minister in May 2022. This happened after the previous Prime Minister, Jean Castex, resigned, which is a common tradition after presidential elections in France.

As Prime Minister, Borne oversaw important changes. These included a new law that changed the retirement age from 62 to 64. She also helped remove most of the health rules from the Covid-19 pandemic. In January 2024, she resigned as Prime Minister. After that, she returned to her role as a Member of Parliament for her area in Calvados.

Early Life and Education

Élisabeth Borne was born in Paris, France. Her mother, Marguerite Lecèsne, was a pharmacist. Her father, Joseph Bornstein, was born in Belgium. He came to France during World War II and joined the French Resistance. He was arrested and sent to a German concentration camp. His father and younger brother died there. Joseph and his older brother survived.

After the war, Joseph met Élisabeth's mother. Her family helped them rebuild their lives. Joseph Bornstein later wrote about the terrible things he saw during the Holocaust. In 1950, he became a French citizen and changed the family name to "Borne." Élisabeth's father died when she was 11 years old. After his death, she received special education benefits. These benefits are given to children who lost a parent because of war or other difficult situations.

Élisabeth Borne went to high school in Paris. She then studied at the École Polytechnique, a famous engineering school. In 1986, she earned her engineering degree from the École des ponts ParisTech. The next year, she received a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

Career in Public Service

Élisabeth Borne started her career in government in 1987. She worked at the French planning and works ministry. In the early 1990s, she advised the Ministry of Education. She worked for ministers Lionel Jospin and Jack Lang. From 1993 to 1996, she was a technical director for a public housing company. In 1997, Prime Minister Jospin appointed her as his advisor for city planning, housing, and transport.

In 2002, Borne became a strategy director at the state-owned railway company SNCF. Later, in 2007, she joined a construction company called Eiffage. From 2008 to 2013, she was the director of urban planning for the City of Paris.

In 2013, Borne became the Prefect of the Vienne department. She was the first woman to hold this position. When Ségolène Royal became Minister of Ecology in 2014, she chose Borne as her chief of staff. From 2015 to 2017, Borne was the President and CEO of RATP Group. This is a state-owned company that runs public transport in Greater Paris.

Political Career

For a long time, Élisabeth Borne was connected to the Socialist Party. However, she never officially joined it. After Emmanuel Macron won the 2017 presidential election, she joined his party, La République En Marche! (LREM).

Minister for Transport (2017–2019)

Élisabeth Borne served as the Minister-Delegate of Transport. This was in the governments led by Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. During her time in this role, she faced many strikes and protests. These were about ending a special pension system for railway workers.

Minister of Ecological and Inclusive Transition (2019–2020)

In 2019, Élisabeth Borne became the head of the Ministry of Ecological and Inclusive Transition. In this role, she worked on new laws for energy planning. These laws aimed to make sure France had enough energy. She also worked on a clean mobility law. This law aimed for the transport sector to produce no carbon by 2050.

Minister of Labour (2020–2022)

In July 2020, Borne was appointed Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion. She worked in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex. In this role, she talked with unions about unemployment benefits. During her time as minister, France's unemployment rate dropped. It reached its lowest level in 15 years. Youth unemployment also reached its lowest level in 40 years.

Prime Minister (2022–2024)

On 16 May 2022, Élisabeth Borne became the Prime Minister of France. She took over from Jean Castex. This happened after President Macron was re-elected for his second term. She was the second woman to serve as Prime Minister in France's history.

Borne was a candidate for her party, Renaissance, in the 2022 legislative election. She ran in the Calvados area in Normandy. She won the election and became a Member of Parliament. After the election, she offered to resign as Prime Minister. However, President Macron asked her to stay and form a new government.

Her government faced challenges, including a vote of no confidence in July 2022. This vote was brought by opposition parties. Her government survived this vote. In March 2023, she survived another vote of no confidence. This vote was about a new law that raised the retirement age.

On 8 January 2024, Élisabeth Borne announced her resignation as Prime Minister. She was replaced by Gabriel Attal the next day.

Deputy and Minister of National Education (2024–present)

After resigning, Élisabeth Borne returned to her role as a Member of Parliament. She represented her constituency in Calvados. In February 2024, she officially started her duties as a deputy in the National Assembly. She joined the Committee on Foreign Affairs in parliament.

In June 2024, President Macron called for new legislative elections. Borne ran for re-election in Calvados and won. In August 2024, she announced she would run for the leadership of her party, Renaissance. In December 2024, Borne was named Minister of National Education, Higher Education, and Research. She now serves in the government led by Prime Minister François Bayrou.

Personal Life

Élisabeth Borne married Olivier Allix in 1989. He was a lecturer and an engineer. They later had a son named Nathan. The couple has since divorced.

In March 2021, Borne was hospitalized with COVID-19. She needed oxygen during her recovery.

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