Olivier Véran

Olivier Véran
Spokesman of the Government
In office 4 July 2022 – 11 January 2024
Prime Minister	Élisabeth Borne
Preceded by	Olivia Grégoire
Succeeded by	Prisca Thévenot
Minister Delegate for Relations with Parliament
In office 20 May 2022 – 4 July 2022
Prime Minister	Élisabeth Borne
Preceded by	Marc Fesneau
Succeeded by	Franck Riester
Minister of Solidarity and Health
In office 16 February 2020 – 20 May 2022
Prime Minister	Édouard Philippe Jean Castex
Preceded by	Agnès Buzyn
Succeeded by	Brigitte Bourguignon (Health) Damien Abad (Solidarity)
Member of the National Assembly for Isère's 1st constituency
In office 21 June 2017 – 17 March 2020
Preceded by	Geneviève Fioraso
Succeeded by	Camille Galliard-Minier
In office 22 July 2012 – 5 April 2015
Preceded by	Geneviève Fioraso
Succeeded by	Geneviève Fioraso
Member of the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
In office 4 January 2016 – 2 July 2021
Personal details
Born	(1980-04-22) 22 April 1980 (age 44) Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
Political party	Renaissance (2017–present)
Other political affiliations	Socialist Party (until 2017)
Spouse	Camille Lesne ​ ​ (m. 2008; div. 2018)​
Domestic partner	Coralie Dubost (2018–2021)
Children	2
Education	University of Grenoble Sciences Po
Profession	Neurologist

Olivier Véran (French: [ɔlivje veʁɑ̃]; born 22 April 1980) is a French neurologist and politician who was Minister of Solidarity and Health in the governments of successive prime ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex from 2020 to 2022. As such, he was a key figure amid the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

A member of Renaissance (named La République En Marche! until 2022) and formerly of the Socialist Party (until 2017), he represented the 1st constituency of the Isère department in the National Assembly from 2012 to 2015 and again from 2017 until 2020. He served as Spokesman of the Government and Deputy Minister for Democratic Renewal in the government of Élisabeth Borne (2022–2024).^[1][2]

Professional career

Véran worked as a neurologist at the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital. He has served as president of the Association of Hospital Assistants in Grenoble, spokesperson for the National Intersyncal of Hospital Interns, and advisor to the Departmental Order of Physicians of Isère.

Political career

Early career

Véran was first elected to the National Assembly for Isère as Geneviève Fioraso's substitute in the 2012 legislative election, as a member of the Socialist Party.^[3] During his time as a deputy, he was mandated by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault with a government inquiry into the regulatory framework for blood products.^[4]

Véran unsuccessfully competed in the 2015 departmental election in the canton of Meylan for a seat in the Departmental Council of Isère. Shortly thereafter, Véran left the National Assembly, as Fioraso returned from service in government. In the 2015 regional election later that year, he was elected to the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. In 2016, Minister of Health Marisol Touraine appointed him to steer a committee in charge of drafting reform proposals for France's hospital financing.^[5]

Ahead of the 2017 presidential election, Véran endorsed Emmanuel Macron and joined En Marche! (later La République En Marche!).^[6] He was reelected to the National Assembly on 18 June 2017. In Parliament, he served as a member of the Committee on Social Affairs, where he was the rapporteur on social security and the government's pension reform plans.^[7]

Minister of Health, 2020–2022

Véran first became Minister for Solidarity and Health in the government of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe from 16 February 2020.^[8] In October 2020, he was one of several current and former government officials whose home was searched by French authorities following complaints about the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in France.^[9]

During his time in office, Véran implemented the government's decision to make access to birth control free for women aged up to 25 years old from 2022 onwards.^[10]

Legislative elections of 2024

In the 2024 French legislative election, he arrived second at the issue of the first round,^[11] leading to a "triangular" second round. On 1 July 2024, he had not yet indicated whether he would quit the race before the second round, as requested by Emmanuel Macron.^[12]

Personal life

Véran was in a relationship from 2018 until 2021 with fellow politician Coralie Dubost, who sat in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2022.^[13]

References

1. Brice Laemle (20 May 2022), Olivier Véran devient ministre délégué chargé des relations avec le Parlement Le Monde.
2. Jean Cittone (20 May 2022), Gouvernement : Olivier Véran, figure de la gestion du Covid, relégué aux Relations avec le Parlement et à la Vie démocratique Le Figaro.
3. "Isère - 1ère circonscription , resultats élections législatives 2017". Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
4. Denis Cosnard (17 July 2013), Sang : une taxe en vue pour freiner les produits étrangers Le Monde.
5. François Béguin (25 May 2016), Le gouvernement veut revoir les règles de « l'hôpital entreprise » Le Monde.
6. Nathalie Raulin (20 April 2016), «En marche» : le bébé du ministre fait ses premiers pas Libération.
7. Isabelle Ficek (16 January 2020), Retraites : les députés de la majorité qui vont porter le projet de loi à l'Assemblée Les Échos.
8. "Elections municipales à Paris : Agnès Buzyn désignée candidate LRM en remplacement de Benjamin Griveaux". Le Monde (in French). 16 February 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
9. Merlin Sugue (15 October 2020), French police search health minister's home as part of coronavirus inquiry Politico Europe.
10. Dominique Vidalon (9 September 2021), France to give free access to contraception for women aged up to 25 Reuters.
11. "1ère circonscription (3801) - Elections Législatives 2024 - Publication des résultats des élections en France".
12. "Législatives : Pour faire barrage au RN, «trouver la force de voter pour des gens qu'on n'aime pas», préconise Glucksmann".
13. François Béguin and Solenn de Royer (23 March 2020), Coronavirus : au ministère de la santé, Olivier Véran, un ambitieux « inconnu » propulsé visage de la crise sanitaire Le Monde.