Pierre Moscovici

Pierre Moscovici
European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 November 2014
President	Jean-Claude Juncker
Preceded by	Jyrki Katainen (Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro) Algirdas Šemeta (Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud)
Minister of Finance
In office 16 May 2012 – 2 April 2014
Prime Minister	Jean-Marc Ayrault
Preceded by	François Baroin
Succeeded by	Michel Sapin
Personal details
Born	(1957-09-16) 16 September 1957 Paris, France
Political party	Revolutionary Communist League (Before 1984) Socialist Party (1984–present)
Spouse(s)	Anne-Michelle Basteri
Alma mater	Institute of Political Studies, Paris National School of Administration, Strasbourg
Religion	Judaism

Pierre Moscovici (French pronunciation: ​[piɛʁ.mɔs.kɔ.vi.si]; born September 16, 1957) is European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs. Previously he served as a senior French politician, as Minister of Finance from 2012 to 2014 and as Minister for European Affairs between 1997 to 2002.

A member of the French Socialist Party (PS), he has been a member of the Departmental Council of Doubs and of the French and European Parliaments. He has been National Secretary of his party since 1995.

On May 2014, he has been entrusted by the Prime Minister of France with a six-month mission to assess how European policies can better contribute to growth and employment. On July 2014, French President Francois Hollande proposed him to be France's representative in the next European Commission. On September 2014, he was named as European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs by President-elect of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker.

Biography

Early life and education

Born in Paris, he is the son of the influential Romanian-Jewish social psychologist Serge Moscovici and of the Polish-Jewish psychoanalyst Marie Bromberg-Moscovici.

Pierre Moscovici obtained a DEA in economics and in philosophy, and he graduated from Sciences Po Paris and the École nationale d'administration - National School of Administration, where he studied under Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who became a friend and mentor in politics. He was a president of À gauche en Europe, a group founded by Strauss-Kahn and Michel Rocard and also created his own group "Besoin de Gauche".

After graduating from the École nationale d'administration in 1984, Pierre Moscovici was appointed to the Cour des comptes - French Court of Audit -, of which he is currently a senior member.

Early political career

Initially active in the Revolutionary Communist League, he left in 1984 to join the PS and, in 1986, became secretary of the "experts' group" created by Claude Allègre.

In 1988, he moved on to the Ministry for National Education in Minister Lionel Jospin’s cabinet, first as conseiller technique, then as chargé de mission.

From 1990 to 1994, he headed the Public Service Modernisation and Financing Department at the Commissariat général du Plan - French Planning Office.

Member of the European Parliament and Minister delegate for European Affairs

From 1994 to 1997, he was a Member of the European Parliament.

Elected to the French Parliament from the Doubs département in 1997, he went on to become a Member of the Franche-Comté Regional Council from 1998 to 2004, and of the Doubs département General Council from 1994 to 2002.

From 1997 to 2002, he was Minister delegate for European Affairs in the government of Lionel Jospin. In 2002, he represented the French authorities at the Convention on the Future of Europe.

On 20 July 2004, he was elected one of the 14 Vice-Presidents of the European Parliament and was re-elected on 17 January 2007.

Member of the French National Assembly and Minister for Finance and Economy

From 2007 to 2012, he has been a Member of the French National Assembly (4th constituency in the Doubs), serving on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and subsequently the Finance Committee. He has been Vice-president of the French National Assembly delegation for the European Union.

He was President of the Pays de Montbéliard Agglomération (PMA – Greater Montbéliard Authority) from 2008 to 2012.

In June 2012, he was re-elected to the National Assembly from the 4th constituency in the Doubs.

Moscovici has been France's Minister for Finance and Economy from May 2012 to April 2014.

He serves as a Member of the French National Assembly. On May 2014, he has been entrusted by the Prime Minister of France with a six-month mission to assess how European policies can better contribute to growth and employment. On July 2014, French President Francois Hollande proposed him to be France's representative in the next European Commission.

Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs

Pierre Moscovici is the Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs. He is in charge of the application of the Stability and Growth Pact, as well as ensuring the economic soundness of Commission proposals and deepening the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union to create the conditions for jobs, growth and investment, and encouraging further structural reforms. On taxation matters, Commissioner Moscovici is responsible for developing a value added tax system at EU level, improving the functioning of the internal market in both direct and indirect taxation and fighting tax fraud and tax evasion. His responsibilities also include the development and management of an efficient EU customs union.

Political career

Governmental function

Minister of Economy and Finances, June 2012 – April 2014

Minister of Economy, Finances, and Foreign Trade, May 2012 – June 2012

Minister of European Affairs, 1997–2002.

Electoral mandates

European Parliament

Member of European Parliament, 1994–1997 (elected in the National Assembly of France in 1997, and became minister) 2004–2007 (Resignation, reelected member of the National Assembly of France in 2007). Elected in 1994, reelected in 2004.

National Assembly of France

Member of the National Assembly of France for Doubs, elected in 1997, but became minister in June) 2007–2012 (became minister in May). Elected in 1997, reelected in 2007, 2012.

Regional Council

Regional councillor of Franche-Comté, 1998–2004.

General Council

General councillor of Doubs, 1994–2001.

Municipal Council

Municipal councillor of Valentigney, 2008-2014.

Municipal councillor of Montbéliard, 1995–2008. Reelected in 2001.

Agglomeration community Council

President of the Agglomeration community of the Pays de Montbéliard, 2008–2012 (resignation).

Member of the Agglomeration community of the Pays de Montbéliard, 2008-2014.

Greece

Moscovici deeply involved himself in the controversy over the Greek Bail-out, regularly expressing sympathy for the Greek predicament, but adhering to the need for internal devaluation largely achieved by cutting wages and pensions and thus causing a severe depression which, in turn meant that Greece's tax revenues largely disappeared. He then promoted the deal which the Troika tried to force on Greece and criticized the Greek negotiators for refusing to agree, while pretending that a sustainable proposal was on the table. http://www.pierremoscovici.fr/2015/06/30/reaction-aux-ecoutes-de-la-nsa/#comment-26977

Opinion

"We sincerely hope that Greece remains in the eurozone", Moscovici said.

References

• Personal blog

Political offices
Preceded by François Baroin	Minister of Finance 2012–2014	Succeeded by Michel Sapin
Preceded by Michel Barnier	French European Commissioner 2014–present	Incumbent
Preceded by Jyrki Katainen as European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs and the Euro	European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs 2014–present
Preceded by Algirdas Šemeta as European Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud