THE PRESIDENT
LA PRÉSIDENTE
168 CIR 23 E
FOR DISTRIBUTION TO ALL MEMBERS
12 September, 2023
Dear colleagues,
It is with some sadness that I am writing to you today to inform you of my decision not to stand
for re-election in the French Senate elections, which will take place on 24 September.
My greatest regret will be that I will soon have to leave our Assembly, at a crucial time both for
NATO and for this Ukraine for which we are all feel so strongly. I have had a great deal of
personal, political and intellectual satisfaction throughout my years of commitment to this
Assembly since I joined in 2008. However, after nearly twenty years as a member of the Senate
and due to concerns about my husband's health, I feel that it is now time to turn the page and
reduce my activities so that I can devote more time to him, who has always supported me with
great self-sacrifice over all these years.
Of course, I shall continue to carry out my duties as President to the fullest until the last day,
which will be 1 October, when I shall cease to be a Senator and my term of office as President
of the Assembly will come to an end. Indeed, the day before, I will be addressing the
Conference of Presidents of all the member countries of the Council of Europe to inform them
of our work.
I would like to thank you all most sincerely for the trust you have placed in me and for your
commitment to our Assembly. Over the past year, I have endeavoured to continue to defend
and advance the Assembly’s priorities on your behalf at a pivotal moment for Euro-Atlantic
security. It was with pride and gravity that I conveyed our message of unwavering support to
our Ukrainian friends during my last visit to Kyiv - and Borodianka - in February. I am also very
pleased about the progress in terms of the recognition that our Assembly has recently received
from NATO. The invitation extended to me to take part in Finland's accession ceremony at
NATO headquarters on 4 April, alongside Allied foreign ministers, is proof of that. Similarly,
the way in which our delegation was received and involved in the meetings and events held
during the Vilnius Summit was quite remarkable. I also had the great honour to present to the
NATO Heads of State and Government our priorities for Ukraine, for NATO’s adaptation and
for operationalising NATO's commitment to our shared democratic values. Moreover, I had the
privilege of promoting the Assembly's priorities at the NATO Public Forum alongside leading
European and American parliamentarians.
In the coming weeks, I will continue to highlight the Assembly’s priorities during my final
engagements as President. And you can rest assured that, in the future too, I will continue to
do everything in my power to support Ukraine, to strengthen our remarkable Alliance and to
promote our Assembly and its all-important mission.