Stéphane Séjourné, a 38-year-old MEP, General Secretary of the ruling Renaissance party and leading figure of the liberal Renew group at the European Parliament, has been named Minister of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, 11th January. This loyalist of Emmanuel Macron for almost a decade, after serving under Jean-Paul Huchon, the socialist president of the Ile-de-France region, joined Macron's team at Bercy, at the tail end of 2014, when Macron was Minister of Economy, acting as advisor for relations with elected officials. He has been by Macron's side ever since.
Stéphane Séjourné became passionately interested in politics at an early age, specifically in 2001, while living in Argentina when the South American country was experiencing an unprecedented crisis. Only 16 years old at the time, he began to get involved in politics while studying law in Poitiers, where he became actively engaged with the UNEF and the Young Socialists Movement, with a pro-strauss-kahniana approach. Here, he created lasting friendships with Sacha Houlié, Pierre Person, and Guillaume Chiche – who were elected deputies in 2017 under the Macron label – and together they formed what was later known as "the Poitiers clique". During this time, he was also one of the key figures in the mobilization against the first job contract in 2006, during the second term of Jacques Chirac.
Being a discreet and less charismatic figure, Stéphane Séjourné does not seek the limelight. He sometimes shares disbelief in the responsibilities he's assumed over the years, which allowed him to rub shoulders with heads of state, government leaders, and key figures of community institutions, such as the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and her counterpart at the Council, Charles Michel.
"Stéphane Séjourné has an exceptional knack for negotiation. At the European Parliament, he showcased his ability to strike deals", acknowledges a close confidant, pointing to his role in negotiations on the European recovery plan and the asylum-migration pact.
Building “Europe Power”
At the Quai d'Orsay, his priorities will be three-fold, according to his entourage: to work towards strengthening multilateral organizations (UN, NATO, WTO, WHO, ...) that are in dire straits; implementing a "realpolitik" by particularly focusing on aiding civilian populations in crisis zones, such as Ukraine or the Middle East; and primarily, to work towards building "Europe Power". In line with the President of the Republic's thinking, the new minister hopes to enhance European integration concerning security and defense and reignite cooperation between France, Germany, and Poland within the Weimar Triangle.
The remaining 65% of this article is reserved for subscribers.
