Former French President Giskar Destin, pioneer of European integration, passes away

Former French President Valery Giskar Destin died after being infected with a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19). 94 years.

Former French President Valery Giskar Destin, April 2013. [AP=연합뉴스]

According to the AFP news agency on the 3rd, the mourning family of former president Giskar Destin and the foundation reported the previous day (2nd) that “he died at his home in central France due to complications from crown 19”. Former President Giskar Destin, who had suffered from lung disease and heart problems this year, deteriorated rapidly, was hospitalized in September and released in November.

Born in 1926, he served in the “Free France”, an anti-German (resistance) organization against the war established by Charles de Gaulle, a soldier during World War II, and was chosen by De Gaulle as Minister of Finance in 1962 and He got on the path of politics in earnest. Later, in the 1974 presidential elections, when former President Georges Pompidou died suddenly during his tenure as a right-wing candidate, he defeated left-wing François Mitterrand and took power at the age of 48.

Former President Giskar Destin, who served until 1981, contributed significantly to European integration during his tenure. The establishment of the European Council and the strengthening of the power of the European Parliament laid the foundations for the European Economic Community (EEC) to become the European Union (EU). It also played a role in creating the seven major G7 summits.

At the national level, it achieved reforms such as the legalization of abortion, the liberalization of divorce and the reduction of the minimum voting age to 18 years. During his tenure, the construction of a nuclear power plant in France and the opening of the French High Speed ​​Train (TGV) were also carried out. It was his credit that he transformed the Orsay Station in Paris into a world-class art museum.

Former French President Valery Giscar Destin spoke with Diana, wife of Prince Charles of England, at a dinner performance held at the Palace of Versailles in November 1994. [로이터=연합뉴스]

Former president Giskar Destin, after seven years in office, tried to be reelected in 1981, but was defeated by Mitterrand, who faced again, and ended up in office. After that, Mitterrand led the left-wing government for 14 years. After his retirement from the president, he continued his political activities as a member of the House of Representatives and, as chairman of the EU Advisory Council, participated in the basic work of the EU constitution.

After former President Mitterrand passed away in 1996 and Chirac passed away in 2019, Giskar Destin has been France’s longest serving president.

On the other hand, the shadow was not small in his life either. During his tenure, the slowdown in economic growth in France, rising unemployment and tightening of policies were decisive factors in the defeat of re-election. Whenever Turkey tried to join the EU, it was criticized for being racist for being a non-European Islamic state.

Former French President Valery Giscar Destin is voting in the March 1986 elections for the French Parliament. [로이터=연합뉴스]

In her later years, she faced embarrassment, including being investigated for sexual harassment of journalists. Since last May, the 37-year-old reporter Ann Katrin Strake from the German public broadcaster WDR has been investigated by the prosecution for sexual harassment in her office in 2018.

Reporter Strake filed a complaint with French police in March, claiming he had been harassed during an interview with former President Giskar Destin on the centenary of the birth of former German Prime Minister Helmut Schmidt.

Reporter Lee Geun-pyeong [email protected]