Geoffroy Didier

Geoffroy Didier
Didier in 2018
Member of the European Parliament
In office
1 December 2017 – 15 July 2024
ConstituencyÎle-de-France (2017–2019)
France (2019–2024)
Member of the Regional Council of Île-de-France
Incumbent
Assumed office
26 March 2010
Personal details
Born (1976-04-12) 12 April 1976 (age 48)
Boulogne-Billancourt, France
Political partyUnion for a Popular Movement (until 2015)
The Republicans (2015–present)
Alma materSciences Po
Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University
Columbia University
OccupationLawyer

Geoffroy Didier (French pronunciation: [ʒɔfʁwa didje]; born 12 April 1976) is a French lawyer and politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from December 2017 to July 2024.[1][2][3] A member of The Republicans (LR), he has also held a seat in the Regional Council of Île-de-France since 2010.

Early life and education

Didier graduated from Sciences Po in 1998 and obtained a master's degree in business law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas in 1999. He also holds a degree from ESSEC Business School (2004).[citation needed]

Political career

Career in national politics

In 2008, Didier worked as an advisor to Minister of Immigration, Integration, National Identity and Cooperative Development Brice Hortefeux in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon.[4]

During the campaign for the 2012 presidential election, Didier served as deputy spokesman for candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, along with Franck Riester, Guillaume Peltier, Valérie Debord and Salima Saa. After the elections, he joined forces with Guillaume Peltier in founded The Strong Right, a conservative faction within the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).[5] He also became the party's deputy secretary general, under the leadership of chairman Jean-François Copé.[6] In addition, he became a member of the Friends of Nicolas Sarkozy group.[7]

Considered close to Valérie Pécresse, Didier played a prominent role in many of her political campaigns, including when she became the head of the Paris region in the 2015 elections.[8]

In March 2016, Didier announced his candidacy for the Republicans’ primaries ahead of the 2017 French presidential election,[9] but failed to secure a sufficient number of votes. He later endorsed Alain Juppé[10] as the party's candidate for the office of President of France before supporting the campaign of François Fillon.

In the party's 2017 leadership election, Didier supported Laurent Wauquiez.[11]

Member of the European Parliament, 2017–present

Didier unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for the 2014 European elections.[12] However, when Constance Le Grip stood down as a Member of the Parliament to move to the National Assembly, Didier took her seat in June 2017. He has since been serving on the Committee on Legal Affairs, where he became the parliament's rapporteur on the 2021 Digital Services Act.[13] In 2020, he also joined the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age.[14]

In addition to his committee assignments, Didier is a member of the delegation for relations with the United States.[citation needed]

When Wauquiez resigned from the Republicans’ leadership in 2019, Didier was considered by news media as a potential successor but soon announced that he would not be putting himself forward for the position; instead, he endorsed Christian Jacob.[15]

In addition to his parliamentary mandate, Didier has been working for law firm CARLARA with offices in Paris and Brussels.[16]

Political positions

In early 2020, Didier called on High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell in a letter to suspend the EU-Japan Strategic Partnership Agreement and demand action against cases of so-called parental child abduction affecting Europeans living in Japan.[17]

References

  1. ^ CAZENAVE, Fabien (27 May 2019). "Parlement européen. Qui sont les 79 eurodéputés élus en France ?". Ouest-France.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  2. ^ "Key dates ahead". European Parliament. 20 May 2017. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Key dates ahead". BBC News. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  4. ^ Caroline Brothers (18 October 2008), France decides not to deport group of 43 Afghans International Herald Tribune.
  5. ^ UMP : la Droite forte en tête du scrutin, Le Figaro, 20 November 2012
  6. ^ Laurence Frost (2 February 2014), French gay marriage protest draws thousands Reuters.
  7. ^ Hugh Carnegy (1 January 2014), Speculation mounts over a return by Nicolas Sarkozy Financial Times.
  8. ^ Maïa de La Baume (8 February 2022), Meet the French MEPs who shape the presidential race Politico Europe.
  9. ^ Philippe Goulliaud (29 March 2016), « Geoffroy Didier se lance dans la primaire pour incarner "la relève" » Le Figaro.
  10. ^ Sophie Louet (15 November 2016), Le "sarkozyste" Geoffroy Didier votera Juppé à la primaire Reuters.
  11. ^ Ludovic Vigogne (11 October 2017), La liste des 136 parrains de Laurent Wauquiez L'Opinion.
  12. ^ Européennes: G.Didier investi candidat UMP Le Figaro, 24 April 2014.
  13. ^ Movers & Shakers The Parliament Magazine, May 21, 2021.
  14. ^ Members of the Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence in a Digital Age Archived 12 November 2021 at the Wayback Machine European Parliament, press release of July 9, 2020.
  15. ^ Alexandre Sulzer (15 July 2019), Geoffroy Didier : «J’ai décidé de lancer un mouvement» Le Parisien.
  16. ^ Sarah Wheaton and Giovanna Coi (6 May 2024), How MEPs make millions on the side: Legal advice, speeches and Covid cures Politico Europe.
  17. ^ Marine Strauss and Chang-Ran Kim (17 February 2020), Two fathers demand action against Japan over parental child abduction Reuters.