Valéry Giscard d’Estaing

President of France 1974-1981

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was born in Koblenz in 1926. He enlisted in the army at 18 and participated in the French and German campaigns (1944-1945), receiving the Croix de Guerre.

He is a member of the Constitutional Council (since 1981), and a member of the Académie Française (since 2003).

He was Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs (1962-1966), and Minister of Economy and Finance (1969-1974).

He served as President of the French Republic (1974-1981). During his term of office he played a crucial role in several international initiatives, such as the creation of the European Council, the election by universal suffrage of the European Parliament, the creation of the European Monetary System and the creation of the world summits of chiefs of state and heads of government of the major industrialised democracies.

He was president of the Convention on the Future of Europe (2002-2003), and presented the Constitution for Europe in 2003, which was the basis of the Lisbon Treaty.