Jean-Paul Gauzès

Jean-Paul Gauzès (1 October 1947 in Toulouse – 13 September 2023 in Paris[1]) was a French politician of the Union for a Popular Movement, part of the European People's Party. He served as a Member of the European Parliament for the North-West of France from 2004 to 2014.

Jean-Paul Gauzès
Member of the European Parliament
In office
2004–2014
ConstituencyNorth-West France
Personal details
Born(1947-10-01)1 October 1947
Toulouse, France
Died13 September 2023(2023-09-13) (aged 75)
Political party French:
Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
 EU:
European People's Party (EPP)

Early career

After studying economics and law and lecturing in Toulouse, Gauzès moved to Paris in 1972, working in the Ministry of National Education before moving into legal practice. From 1980 until 1994, he worked as a lawyer in the Council of State and in the Court of Appeals.[2]

In 1996, Gauzès was involved in the creation of Dexia. Between 1998 and 2007, he served as the company's director on legal and tax matters in France[3] and worked for Dexia Credit Local, a subsidiary of the bank that lends money to local governments.[4]

Political career

Role in national politics

In the 1998 French regional elections, Gauzès was one of five mainstream center-right politicians who, having accepted votes from the far-right National Front, were voted into office as regional presidents. This sparked an uproar among their political allies, prompting Gauzès to resign.[5]

Member of the European Parliament

Gauzès was first elected Member of the European Parliament in the 2004 European elections. For the 2014 elections, he was placed third on the list of UMP candidates in the North-West constituency;[6] he was not re-elected.[7]

Throughout his time in parliament, Gauzès served on the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. In this capacity, he was appointed rapporteur for the Payment Services Directive in 2006[8] and for the directive on credit rating agencies in 2008.[9] He was a leading negotiator on the Alternative Investment Fund Managers Directive in 2011 and during the talks on new budget-monitoring regulations following the eurozone crisis.[10]

In addition to his committee assignments, Gauzès was a member of the Parliament's delegation with Iran (2004-2009), the countries of south-east Europe (2007-2009) and the Korean Peninsula (2009-2014).

European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG)

In 2016, the European Commission proposed Gauzès for the role of President of the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG). Following a hearing, the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs confirmed Gauzès’ nomination in May 2016.[11] He chaired EFRAG until the end of his six year mandate, in June 2022.

Political positions

In 2009, Gauzès and Pervenche Berès publicly protested against the nomination of Sharon Bowles as chairwoman of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. They took issue with the idea of someone from a country that is not part of the eurozone chairing a committee that has, as one of its main responsibilities, regular hearings with the President of the European Central Bank. Under the resulting pressure, Bowles was forced to publicly state her support for the UK replacing the pound with the euro.[12]

In 2011, Gauzès and Burkhard Balz said that a proposal by the Nasdaq OMX Group and Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) to buy NYSE Euronext "poses serious concerns" about the financial stability of the tech-heavy American exchange. Instead they supported the proposed combination of Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext, arguing that this would "create a strong and viable European actor with a global outreach and footprint."[13]

References
  1. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/normandie/seine-maritime/jean-paul-gauzes-figure-politique-normande-est-mort-2840057.html
  2. Jeanne Méric (June 2, 2010), French conciliator European Voice.
  3. Jeanne Méric (June 2, 2010), French conciliator European Voice.
  4. Anna McLauchlin (January 25, 2006), Dexia deputy – my report won’t be biased European Voice.
  5. Charles Fleming (March 24, 1998), France's President Calls for Reforms As Extreme-Right Wing Shows Power Wall Street Journal.
  6. Pierre de Boisséson (June 17, 2014), French MEP-elect questioned by police European Voice.
  7. Andrew Gardner (June 5, 2014), Bidding farewell to some well-known names from the 2009-14 European Parliament European Voice.
  8. Anna McLauchlin (January 25, 2006), Dexia deputy – my report won’t be biased European Voice.
  9. Jeanne Méric (June 2, 2010), French conciliator European Voice.
  10. Andrew Gardner (June 5, 2014), Bidding farewell to some well-known names from the 2009-14 European Parliament European Voice.
  11. Huw Jones (May 31, 2016), EU lawmakers back Frenchman to head bloc's accounting body Reuters.
  12. Simon Taylor (July 22, 2009), New-look Parliament carves up the top jobs European Voice.
  13. Louise Armitstead (April 8, 2011), Jean-Paul Gauzès attacks Nasdaq's bid for NYSE Euronext The Daily Telegraph.
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