Jack Lang (French politician)
Jack Lang has been appointed by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as Special Adviser on Legal Issues linked to Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 19 June 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Dominique Dupilet |
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| In office 27 March 2000 – 5 May 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Claude Allègre |
| Succeeded by | Luc Ferry |
| In office 3 April 1992 – 29 March 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Lionel Jospin |
| Succeeded by | François Bayrou |
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| In office 13 May 1988 – 2 April 1992 |
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| Preceded by | François Léotard |
| Succeeded by | Jacques Toubon |
| In office 22 May 1981 – 19 March 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Michel d'Ornano |
| Succeeded by | François Léotard |
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| In office 16 March 1986 – 28 July 1988 |
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| In office 1 June 1997 – 27 April 2000 |
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Mayor of Blois
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| In office 20 March 1989 – 2000 |
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| Preceded by | Pierre Sudreau |
| Succeeded by | Bernard Valette |
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| Born | 2 September 1939 Mirecourt, Vosges, France |
| Nationality | French |
| Political party | Socialist |
Jack Mathieu Émile Lang (born 2 September 19391) is a French politician. A member of the Socialist Party, he served as France's Minister of Culture from 1988–92, and as Minister of Education from 1992–93 and 2000-02. He was also the Mayor of Blois from 1989-2000. He currently serves in the National Assembly from the sixth district of Pas-de-Calais.1
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Biography
Lang was born to Roger Lang and Marie-Luce Bouchet in Mirecourt, in the département of Vosges, and is of Jewish ancestry.[1] He studied political science at the Paris Institute of Political Studies and went on to receive a postgraduate degree in public law. His career then focused on a combination of teaching and culture and the arts. He was the founder and producer of Festival du Monde in Nancy, was director of the Nancy University Theatre from 1963 to 1972, and then director of the Palais de Chaillot Théâtre from 1972 to 1974. At the same time he was a professor of international law from 1971 to 1981. He married Monique Buczynski in 1961. The couple have two daughters.
Politics
Lang entered politics as a Socialist member of the French National Assembly from Paris in 1977. He is best known for having served as Minister of Culture (22 May 1981 – 19 March 1986 and 13 May 1988 – 29 March 1993) and as Minister of Education (3 April 1992 – 29 March 1993 and 27 March 2000 – 5 May 2002).1
In 1981, while Minister of Culture, he created the Fête de la Musique, a massive celebration of music held on 21 June each year, where many amateur musicians give free open-air performances. He is the co-founder and president of the Union of the Theatres of Europe.
In August 1981, he created the Lang Law, which fixes the price of books.
Lang was a Member of the European Parliament from 1994 to 1997.1 In 2000 he ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Paris. While he had planned to run for president in 2007 he decided not to register as a candidate for the Socialist nomination in the name of party unity.
In 2007, Lang agreed to become co-chairman of a commission drafting changes to the Constitution that were supported by President Nicolas Sarkozy and opposed by the Socialist Party. This decision provoked strong criticism from his party, leading him to end his role in the party leadership. When Parliament voted on the constitutional changes on 21 July 2008, he voted in favor, becoming the only Socialist deputy to do so. A three-fifths majority was required, and the changes passed by a vote of 539 to 357, meaning that Lang's support enabled the bill to pass by a one-vote margin. The Socialist Party denounced Lang for this vote; party spokesman Julien Dray said that he had "gone too far" and "no longer has his place in our political family", while Jean-Marc Ayrault, the President of the Socialist Parliamentary Group, said that Lang's vote was an act of "crossing the Rubicon". Lang replied by saying that it "is in nobody's power to strike me from the map of the French political landscape".2
In late 2009, Sarkozy appointed Lang his special envoy to North Korea, following a similar assignment earlier in the year to Cuba. Lang is scheduled to travel to Pyongyang on November 9 for a self-described "listening mission" aimed at exploring bilateral ties and discussing the North Korean nuclear program, among other things. Lang briefed American officials including Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and special envoy Sung Kim, as well as ambassadors of countries involved such as Russia, before the assignment was publicly announced. Some critics questioned Lang's qualifications, but Lang said he would be driven by his "intuition" that change was afoot in North Korea.3
Political career
Governmental functions
Minister of Culture : 1981-1986.
Minister of Culture, Communication, Great Works and of the Bicentennial : 1988-1991.
Minister of Culture and Communication, government's spokesman : 1991-1992.
Minister of State, minister of National Education and Culture : 1992-1993.
Minister of National Education : 2000-2002.
Special envoy to Cuba : February 2009.
Special envoy to North Korea : November 2009.
Electoral mandates
European Parliament
Member of European Parliament : 1994-1997 (Reelected member of the National Assembly of France in 1997). Elected in 1994.
National Assembly of France
Member of the National Assembly of France for Pas-de-Calais : Since 2002. Elected in 2002, reelected in 2007.
Member of the National Assembly of France for Loir-et-Cher : 1986-1988 (Became minister in 1988) / March-December 1993 (Resignation) / 1997-2000 (Became minister in 2000). Elected in 1986, reelected in 1988, 1993, 1997.
Regional Council
Vice-president of the Regional Council of Nord-Pas-de-Calais : Since 2004
Regional councillor of Nord-Pas-de-Calais : Since 2004.
Regional councillor of Centre (region) : 1992-1998.
General Council
General councillor of Loir-et-Cher : 1992-1993 (Resignation).
Municipal Council
Mayor of Blois : 1989-2000 (Resignation). Reelected in 1995.
Municipal councillor of Blois : 1989-2002 (Resignation). Reelected in 1995.
Councillor of Paris 1983-1989.
Bibliography
See also the bibliography on his website (in French).
- Caplan, Lincoln, "M. Le Ministre" The New Yorker 60/47 (7 January 1985) : 18-19
References
- ^ a b c d CV at National Assembly website (French).
- ^ Samuel, Henry (21 July 2008). "Leading French Socialist dumped for supporting Nicolas Sarkozy reforms". The Daily Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2445214/Leading-French-Socialist-dumped-for-supporting-Nicolas-Sarkozy-reforms.html.
- ^ Charlton, Angela (3 November 2009). "France wades into bog of North Korean diplomacy". Associated Press. http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hDidtco64NFw1YkiF2H-plM-Z3tAD9BO1GL80.
External links
External links
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| Preceded by Michel d'Ornano |
Minister of Culture 1981-1986 |
Succeeded by François Léotard |
| Preceded by François Léotard |
Minister of Culture 1988-1993 |
Succeeded by Jacques Toubon |
| Preceded by Lionel Jospin |
Minister of Education 1992-1993 |
Succeeded by François Bayrou |
| Preceded by Claude Allègre |
Minister of Education 2000-2002 |
Succeeded by Luc Ferry |
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