Pascal Lamy

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Pascal Lamy
8th Director-General of the World Trade Organization
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 September 2005
Preceded by Supachai Panitchpakdi
European Commissioner for Trade
In office
13 September 1999 – 22 November 2004
Preceded by Leon Brittan
Succeeded by Peter Mandelson
Personal details
Born 8 April 1947 (1947-04-08) (age 64)
Levallois-Perret, France
Nationality French
Alma mater Sciences Po Paris
HEC
ÉNA
University of Warwick

Pascal Lamy (born 8 April 1947) is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, a French political advisor, a businessman, and a former European Commissioner for Trade. Lamy is Honorary President of Paris-based think tank Notre Europe.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Born in Levallois-Perret, Hauts-de-Seine, a suburb of Paris, he graduated from the prestigious Sciences Po Paris, from HEC and ÉNA, graduating second in his year of those specialising in economics. Lamy is also an honorary graduate of the University of Warwick.[1]

Lamy then joined the civil service, and in this role he ended up serving as an adviser to Jacques Delors as Economics and Finance Minister and Pierre Mauroy as Prime Minister.

He has been a member of the French Socialist Party since 1969.

[edit] European Commission

When Delors became President of the European Commission in 1984, he took Lamy with him to serve as chef de cabinet, which he did until the end of Delors' term in 1994. During his time there, Lamy became known as the Beast of the Berlaymont, the Gendarme and Exocet due to his habit of ordering civil servants, even Directors-General (head of departments) "precisely what to do – or else." He was seen as ruling Delor's office with a "rod of iron", with no-one able to bypass or manipulate him and those who tried being "banished to one of the less pleasant European postings".[2]

Lamy briefly moved into business at Crédit Lyonnais. Promoted to second in command, he was involved in the restructuring and privatisation of the bank. Returning to the European Commission in 1999, he was appointed European Commissioner for Trade by Commission President Romano Prodi. Lamy served to the expiry of the commission's term in 2004. His ability to manage the powerful civil servants in his department was noted.[3]

[edit] WTO

On 13 May 2005, Pascal Lamy was chosen as the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization, and took office on 1 September 2005 for a four-year term. On 30 April 2009, Lamy was re-elected unanimously by the WTO general council for a second term of four years, beginning 1 September 2009.[4]

[edit] Personal life

Lamy is married and has three sons. His hobbies are running and cycling.[5] While working under President Delors, he was seen jogging in Brussels despite his meagre diet. With such exercising being viewed as a form of self-abuse by other civil servants, this only added to his harsh reputation in the Commission.[2]

[edit] Select publications

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ a b Eppink, Derk-Jan; Ian Connerty (translator) (2007). Life of a European Mandarin: Inside the Commission (1st edition ed.). Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo. pp. 22–3. ISBN 978-9020970227. 
  3. ^ Former EU Mandarin Spills the Beans on Commission Intrigue Deutsche Welle
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ Commissioner Pascal Lamy, Europa (web portal)

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Édith Cresson
French European Commissioner
1999-2004
Served alongside: Michel Barnier
Succeeded by
Jacques Barrot
Preceded by
Yves-Thibault de Silguy
Preceded by
Sir Leon Brittan
European Commissioner for Trade
1999–2004
Succeeded by
Peter Mandelson
Preceded by
Supachai Panitchpakdi
Director-General of the WTO
2005–
Incumbent
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