Stéphane Séjourné is one of the new figures entering Gabriel Attal’s government. Back on his journey.
At 38, Stéphane Séjourné became the youngest tenant of the Quai d’Orsay under the Fifth Republic. The secretary general of the Renaissance party was appointed Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs on Thursday January 11, during the first phase of a reshuffle decided by Emmanuel Macron. He succeeds Catherine Colonna, who leaves office after a year and a half in government. Who is Stéphane Séjourné? A look back at the journey of this fervent European, close to Gabriel Attal and pioneer of Macronism.
Stéphane Séjourné began his political career in the ranks of the Socialist Party, notably working alongside Dominique Strauss-Kahn. During Hollande’s five-year term, he became Emmanuel Macron’s advisor at the Ministry of the Economy. He played an important role in the launch of the latter’s presidential campaign, participating in founding Les Jeunes with Macron, then La République en Marche (today Renaissance). After 2017, Stéphane Séjourné continued to advise the new president at the Elysée.
Stéphane Séjourné won his first elected mandate by becoming a European deputy in 2019, on the Macronist list. He took over as president of the “Renew” group in the European Parliament in 2021, before becoming secretary general of Renaissance in 2022. He was expected to be the head of the party’s list for the 2024 European elections.
His appointment to the government is therefore a surprise, even if the MEP is close to the new Prime Minister. Stéphane Séjourné was in fact in a relationship with Gabriel Attal for several years, until 2022. On January 9, he welcomed the appointment of the new head of government on policies,” he wrote.
Stéphane Séjourné arrives at the Quai d’Orsay with his European experience. “I am not a professional diplomat, but having grown up abroad, I know what France means in the world,” recalled the man who lived in Madrid then in Buenos Aires, during the transfer of power with Catherine Colonna. In his speech, Stéphane Séjourné hammered home his commitment to defending “an independent France in a powerful Europe capable of carrying its voice in a new multilateral order”.