Laurent Saint-Martin (French pronunciation: [lɔʁɑ̃ sɛ̃ maʁtɛ̃]; born 22 June 1985) is a French politician who has served as Minister Delegate for the Budget and Public Accounts in the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier since 21 September 2024.[1] A member of Renaissance (RE), he has also held a seat in the Regional Council of Île-de-France since 2021.[2]
Laurent Saint-Martin | |
|---|---|
 Saint-Martin in 2017 | |
| Minister Delegate for the Budget and Public Accounts | |
| Assumed office 21 September 2024 | |
| Prime Minister | Michel Barnier |
| Preceded by | Thomas Cazenave |
| Member of the Regional Council of Île-de-France | |
| Assumed office 2 July 2021 | |
| Member of the National Assembly for Val-de-Marne's 3rd constituency | |
| In office 21 June 2017 – 21 June 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg |
| Succeeded by | Louis Boyard |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 June 1985 Toulouse, France |
| Political party | Socialist Party (2009–2012) Renaissance (2016–present) |
| Alma mater | EDHEC Business School |
Prior to his appointment to the government, Saint-Martin served as Director General of Business France from 2023 to 2024.[3]
He represented the 3rd constituency of the Val-de-Marne department in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2022 as a member of La République En Marche! (later renamed Renaissance).[4]
Political career
editFrom 2009 until 2012, Saint-Martin was a member of the Socialist Party.[5] However, he was not actively involved in politics before he joined La République En Marche! in 2016.[6]
In the 2017 legislative election, Saint-Martin was elected to the National Assembly, where he represented the 3rd constituency of Val-de-Marne. He succeeded Roger-Gérard Schwartzenberg of the Radical Party of the Left. In Parliament, Saint-Martin served as a member of the Finance Committee. In addition to his committee assignments, he was part of the French-Peruvian Parliamentary Friendship Group.[7]
In late 2018, Saint-Martin was offered to join the government of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe but declined a post as Secretary of State at the Ministry of the Economy and Finance under the leadership of Bruno Le Maire.[8] In June 2019, Philippe entrusted him with a mission to reform the national system for the identification, seizure and confiscation of criminal assets.[9] From 2020, Saint-Martin served as the Parliament's lead rapporteur on the annual budget of France; he succeeded Joël Giraud.[10]
Within his party, Saint-Martin became a member of the executive board in 2019. In that capacity, he was entrusted alongside Guillaume Chiche for the party's policy planning.[11]
In early 2021, Saint-Martin emerged as the frontrunner in the race to lead the La République En Marche! campaign in Île-de-France during that year's regional elections and to potentially succeed Valérie Pécresse as President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France.[12] With only 9.62 percent of the vote, he ultimately lost against Pécresse but was elected as a regional councillor.[13]
In the 2022 legislative election, Saint-Martin ran for reelection to the National Assembly but lost his seat to Louis Boyard of La France Insoumise.
CEO of Business France, 2023–2024
editIn 2022, Saint-Martin was appointed to head Business France, the government agency tasked with promoting French exports and foreign investments in France.[14]
Political positions
editIn 2018, Saint-Martin was one of Stanislas Guerini's first supporters when the latter ran for the post of LREM leader.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Leigh Thomas and Michel Rose (21 September 2024), Key ministers in France's new government line-up Reuters.
- ^ "Elections législatives 2017". Ministry of the Interior (in French). Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Tristan Quinault-Maupoil (23 November 2022), L'ex-député Marcheur Laurent Saint-Martin pressenti à la tête de Business France Le Figaro.
- ^ Giorgio Leali, Peter O'Brien and Louise Guillot (23 June 2022), Who’s in and who’s out in Macronia — and what it means for the EU Politico Europe.
- ^ Manon Rescan and Audrey Tonnelier (4 January 2020), Laurent Saint-Martin, un macroniste fidèle choisi pour le budget, Le Monde.
- ^ Ingrid Melander and Elizabeth Pineau (16 November 2017), French president's party hit by defections as it picks leader, Reuters.
- ^ Laurent Saint-Martin, French National Assembly.
- ^ Manon Rescan and Audrey Tonnelier (4 January 2020), Laurent Saint-Martin, un macroniste fidèle choisi pour le budget, Le Monde.
- ^ Jean-Baptiste Jacquin (28 June 2019), Le gouvernement souhaite développer les saisies et confiscations des avoirs criminels, Le Monde.
- ^ Manon Rescan and Audrey Tonnelier (4 January 2020), Laurent Saint-Martin, un macroniste fidèle choisi pour le budget, Le Monde.
- ^ Val-de-Marne : le député Laurent Saint-Martin (LREM) prend du galon, Le Parisien, 24 January 2019.
- ^ Loris Boichot and Mathilde Siraud (28 January 2021), Régionales : Jean-Michel Blanquer renonce définitivement à sa candidature Île-de-France, Le Figaro.
- ^ Tristan Quinault-Maupoil (28 June 2021), En Île-de-France, LREM termine sous la barre des 10%, Le Figaro.
- ^ Tristan Quinault-Maupoil (23 November 2022), L'ex-député Marcheur Laurent Saint-Martin pressenti à la tête de Business France Le Figaro.
- ^ Manon Rescan and Audrey Tonnelier (4 January 2020), Laurent Saint-Martin, un macroniste fidèle choisi pour le budget, Le Monde.