Patrick Ollier

Patrick Ollier
President of the National Assembly
In office 7 March 2007 – 19 June 2007
President	Jacques Chirac Nicolas Sarkozy
Preceded by	Jean-Louis Debré
Succeeded by	Bernard Accoyer
Minister for Relationships with Parliament
In office 14 November 2010 – 10 May 2012
President	Nicolas Sarkozy
Prime Minister	François Fillon
Preceded by	Henri de Raincourt
Succeeded by	Alain Vidalies
Mayor of Rueil-Malmaison
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 June 2004
Preceded by	Jacques Baumel
Member of the French National Assembly for Hauts-de-Seine
Incumbent
Assumed office 18 June 2002
Preceded by	Éric Berdoati
Personal details
Born	17 December 1944 Périgueux, France
Political party	UMP (2002–present)
Domestic partner	Michèle Alliot-Marie
Alma mater	Sciences Po Aix

Patrick Ollier (born 17 December 1944 in Périgueux, Dordogne) is a French MP for the UMP party and the Mayor of Rueil-Malmaison. He was briefly the President of the National Assembly in 2007. He is the partner of Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the government of François Fillon.

He was elected on 16 June 2002, representing the Hauts-de-Seine, near Paris. He is president of the French National Assembly's committee on Economic Affairs, the Environment, and Territory. He is interested in renewable energies, and Africa, being head of the French-Libyan friendship group in the National Assembly.

On 14 January 2007 he announced that he would be candidate to the presidency of the National Assembly, replacing Jean-Louis Debré, who would join the Constitutional Council. He ended up as the only candidate, as the opposition refused to take part in the vote, and was elected on 7 March 2007. However, and although he had expressed the wish to remain President of the Assembly, he was not chosen by the UMP group as its candidate for the presidency after the legislative election, and was succeeded by Bernard Accoyer on 26 June of the same year.

Private life

He is also the partner of Michèle Alliot-Marie, who was the French minister of Foreign and European Affairs in the Government of François Fillon from 14 November 2010 to 27 February 2011. Mr Ollier is an Honorary member of the Rotary Club of Rueil Malmaison and a public officer.

Public life

At the same time Ollier is Mayor in the city of Rueil Malmaison. Rueil is a high-class suburb of Paris. He is also, since March 2007, the President of the Parliamentary Chamber in France.

Parliamentary work

Ollier, following General de Gaulle's social positions, is the inventor of the "Work's dividend" who has been taken back in many Government decisions and parliamentary works.

Renewables energies

In 2005, during a debate on energy law, Patrick Ollier presented an amendment on wind power known as the "Ollier Amendment." It aimed to raise the minimum electrical output of wind farms that qualify for automatic electricity repurchase by the EDF to those that produce more than 30MW (from the previous 12MW.) It also limited construction of wind farms to designated areas that were to be defined later. This caused an outcry from various environmental organizations. When faced with this opposition, the amendment was withdrawn.

SRU Law

• M. Ollier constantly worked to amend the SRU law (solidarité et renouvellement urbains) (solidarity and urban renewal) of December 2000, and specially to amend and decrease the quota of 20% of social apartments forced to the French municipalities.^[1]
• Ending January 2006, the SRU law was decreased by the National Assembly of the French Parliament by the adoption of a Patrick Ollier and Gérard Hamel's amendment, in first lecture (which means in the Parliamentary procedure that it has the governmental support) on a law project (loi ENL). This amendment Ollier-Hamel allowed to consider some real-estate operation to social accession to property as some social apartments. The French Senate suppressed these measures on April 2006.
• On 30 May 2006, in the National Assembly, on a second-lecture of the law project (ENL), Patrick Ollier deponed again one amendment against the 20% quota of social apartments (logements sociaux) forced to 740 French municipalities.

Africa

• Patrick Ollier is head of the France-Libya friendship group of the French Parliament. He made several visits in that country, sometimes for the Élysée or the Quai d'Orsay. Patrick Ollier's relations with Arab regimes, particularly with General Muammar Gaddafi ^[2] are denounced in February 2011 by the French press ^[3] and foreign.^[4] In its 24 February edition of the newspaper Libération assert that Patrick Ollier "served as an intermediary for the sale of arms" between the France and Libya.^[5]
• He has been officially visiting other Arab countries like Tunisia. In February 2011, he and his partner Michele Alliot-Marie were accused by Le Canard enchaîné of having use a private jet belonging to friend of Tunisian dictator Ben Ali during the Tunisian Revolution ^[6]
• Following Réseau Voltaire, he would have helped Elf to plant in Nigeria.^[7]
• In the Clearstream affair 2, his name has been cited in the meeting of the 9 janvier 2004 between Dominique de Villepin, Philippe Rondot and Jean-Louis Gergorin in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Jean-Louis Gergorin cited then «excessives links» of Patrick Ollier with Arab countries. Le général Philippe Rondot aurait délibérément caché au ministre de la Défense que le nom de son conjoint avait été mentionné. Selon son témoignage, il avait reçu comme consigne de Dominique de Villepin de «ne rien communiquer au ministère de la Défense». Toutefois, il semble que son nom ne figurait pas dans les listings truqués de Clearstream. Patrick Ollier s'est constitué partie civile dans ce dossier.

Official positions

Patrick Ollier took often clear position: signature of the anti-PACS petition (civilian agreement of common life for hetero- and homosexual), opposition to the ("IVG" - Voluntary Pregnancy Interruption) (abortion) reform in 2000. He refused to acknowledge the date of 19 March 1962 as "Journée nationale du souvenir et de recueillement à la mémoire des victimes civiles et militaires de la guerre d'Algérie et des combats du Maroc et de Tunisie". (National Remembrance Day in memory of civilian and military victims of the Algerian war and the combats in Morocco and Tunisia)

In June and July 2006, he worked actively for the privatization of the French public company of gas Gaz de France and its fusion with Suez to form GDF Suez.

Political career

Governmental functions

• Minister for Relationships with Parliament : 2010-2012.

Electoral mandates

National Assembly of France

• President of the National Assembly of France : March–June 2007.
• Vice President of the National Assembly of France : 1998-2002.
• Member of the National Assembly of France for Hauts-de-Seine (7th constituency) : 2002-2010 (He became minister in 2010) / Since 2012. Elected in 2002, reelected in 2007, 2012.
• Member of the National Assembly of France for Hautes-Alpes (2nd constituency) : 1988-2002. Elected in 1988, reelected in 1993, 1997.
• President of the Economic Affairs Committee in the National Assembly : Since 2009-2010 (Became Minister in 2010).
• President of the Economic Affairs, Environment and Territory Committee in the National Assembly : 2002-2009.

General Council

• General councillor of Hautes-Alpes : 1992-2001 (Resignation). Reelected in 1998.

Municipal Council

• Mayor of Rueil-Malmaison : Since 2004. Reelected in 2008.
• Deputy-mayor of Rueil-Malmaison : 1983-1989 / 2001-2004 (Resignation).
• Municipal councillor of Rueil-Malmaison : 1983-1989 / Since 2001. Reelected in 2001, 2008.
• Mayor of La Salle les Alpes : 1989-2001. Reelected in 1995.
• Municipal councillor of La Salle les Alpes : 1989-2001. Reelected in 1995.

References

1. L'assouplissement de la loi SRU revient devant les députés, Le Monde, 29 mai 2006
2. Interview sur Europe 1 du 12 December 2007
3. Franck Nouchi, « L’esprit des lois », Le Monde, 23 février 2011
4. Steven Erlanger, « French Foreign Minister Urged to Resign », New York Times, 3 février 2011
5. Karl Laske, « Patrick Ollier, l’ami très personnel du régime libyen », Libération, 24 février 2011
6. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1353066/Senior-French-minister-used-Tunisian-dictator-Ben-Alis-friends-private-jet.html
7. François-Xavier Verschave, Noir Silence, Les Arènes, 2000, p. 406.

External links

• Patrick Ollier's official website (in French)