Nicole Fontaine
Nicole Marie Claude Fontaine (born Garnier, born January 16, 1942 in Ville- Grain Ymauville, Normandy ) is a French politician.
Life
After her schooling in Le Havre Fontaine studied law in Paris. You graduated from a PhD on the relationship between the French state and the French private school sector. At the Institut d' études politiques de Paris, she put aside instead of a diploma.
Following Fontaine took over in 1963 and 1964, teaching at a secondary school. Also since 1964, she is married to Jean -René Fontaine and has with him a daughter. Since 1965, Fontaine worked as a consultant for Legal Affairs of the General Secretariat of the Catholic educational system. There they brought it to the Deputy Secretary-General. Besides this activity, Fontaine served 1972-1981 also as a member of the Supreme Council of National Education. First political experience she gained in 1983 when the government under François Mitterrand planned the subsidization of parochial schools adjust. Fontaine organized the resistance against this plan and made in the negotiations, its political talent.
Policy
In 1984, Fontaine ran successfully for the Christian-Liberal Party sociaux Centre of démocrates for the European Parliament. In 1989, she appeared on the list of former European Parliament President Simone Veil, the Centre pour l'Europe, and from 1994 for the Union pour la démocratie française (UDF). After her re-election in 1989 Fontaine was one of the Vice- President of the European Parliament on the proposal from the European People's Party. In this position she gained general recognition, so that they could unite in their re-election in 1994 by all Vice-Presidents the most votes. Consequently, it has now also first vice-president and thus Deputy President. In this role, she could often than chairman of the Conciliation Committee between Parliament and Council contribute to a compromise.
As at the 1999 European elections, the parties of the European People's Party (EPP ) have won the relative majority of seats and for the first time was the strongest faction in direct elections, Fontaine ran for President of the Parliament. Against the Portuguese Socialists Mário Soares and the Finnish Green MEP Heidi Hautala they prevailed with 306 valid votes of 555. On their rival candidates accounted for 200 or 40 votes. In accordance with an agreement concluded with the liberal group in the European Parliament agreement Fontaine was replaced by the Irish MPs in Parliament Pat Cox President in January 2002.
After Jacques Chirac's re-election as president in May 2002 and the success of the liberal bourgeois parties in the French parliamentary elections in June 2002 appointed Prime Minister Jean -Pierre Raffarin Fontaine as Minister with responsibility for Industry, Ministry of Economy, Finance and Industry in the government, which they was a member until 2004.
Since 2004 it belongs again to the European Parliament on, as a member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy.