Pascal Lamy
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Pascal Lamy
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 September 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Supachai Panitchpakdi |
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| In office 13 September 1999 – 22 November 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Leon Brittan |
| Succeeded by | Peter Mandelson |
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| Born | 8 April 1947 Levallois-Perret, France |
| Nationality | French |
Pascal Lamy (born 8 April 1947) is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, a French political advisor, a businessman, and a former European Commissioner for Trade. Lamy is Honorary President of Paris-based think tank Notre Europe.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Levallois-Perret, a suburb of Paris, he attended the HEC business school, the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), and then the civil service college, the ENA, graduating second in his year of those specialising in economics.
Lamy then joined the civil service, and in this role he ended up serving as an adviser to Jacques Delors as Economics and Finance Minister and Pierre Mauroy as Prime Minister.
Member of the French Socialist Party since 1969.
[edit] European Commission
When Delors became President of the European Commission in 1984, he took Lamy with him to serve as chef de cabinet, which he did until the end of Delors' term in 1994. During his time there, Lamy became know as the Beast of the Berlaymont, the Gendarme and Exocet due to his habit of ordering civil servants, even Directors-General (head of departments) "precisely what to do - or else." He was seen as ruling Delor's office with a "rod of iron", with no-one able to bypass or manipulate him and those who tried being "banished to one of the less pleasant European postings".[1]
Lamy then briefly moved into business in the form of Crédit Lyonnais, where he reached the level of second in command, helping to restructure and privatise the bank. In 1999 he returned to the Commission. The new European Commission President Romano Prodi appointed him European Commissioner for Trade, as which he served until the end of term for the Commission in 2004. During his term he has received praise for his leadership and ability to control the powerful civil servants in his department.[2]
[edit] WTO
On 13 May 2005, Pascal Lamy was chosen as the next Director-General of the World Trade Organization, and took office on 1 September 2005 for a four-year term.
[edit] On Globalisation and International Finance
Friday, 30 May 2008 BBC News posted an interview with Pascal Lamy on the BBC NEWS website, in which he speaks about globalisation. Lamy states "the speed of globalisation impacts on social and economic fabrics in unprecedented ways" and describes free trade as "welfare efficiency creating". According to Lamy "the necessary adjustments of domestic policies in terms of training, education and innovation" is necessary for people do gain as well as mitigate the losses of globalisation. He describes the safety net in the US as "less than average" and that the consequences of losing a job are "much bigger in systems where you have no net".
Asked about recent troubles in the financial markets he replies that international finance is less regulated than trade and sais that he is among those who thinks that "a little more prudent regulation could have helped". He draws attention to the fact that there is "dis-sensus" about whether international finance should be more regulated. He also explains that in the WTO "we all agree" that a "relatively solid level of regulation" is needed to ensure fair trade.[1]
[edit] Personal life
Lamy is married with three sons. His hobbies are running and cycling.[3] While working under President Delors, he was seen jogging in Brussels despite his meagre diet. With such exercising being viewed as a form of self-abuse by other civil servants, this only added to his harsh reputation in the Commission.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Eppink, Derk-Jan; Ian Connerty (translator) (2007). Life of a European Mandarin: Inside the Commission, 1st edition (in English), Tielt, Belgium: Lannoo, p.22-3. ISBN 978-9020970227.
- ^ Former EU Mandarin Spills the Beans on Commission Intrigue Deutsche Welle
- ^ Commissioner Pascal Lamy, Europa (web portal)
[edit] External links
- About Pascal Lamy
- Pascal Lamy's Commissioner's profile
- Notre Europe
- "Pascal Lamy – Managing Global Expectations", The Globalist, 23 February 2006.
| Preceded by Supachai Panitchpakdi |
Director-General of the World Trade Organization 2005– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Sir Leon Brittan |
European Commissioner for Trade 1999–2004 |
Succeeded by Peter Mandelson |
