FORA.tv Speaker - Francois Fillon

Francois Fillon is the current Prime Minister of France, having been appointed to that office by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. As a member of the UMP party, Fillon became Jean-Pierre Raffarin's Minister of Labour in 2002 and undertook controversial reforms of the 35-hour working week law and of the French retirement system (Loi Fillon). He became Minister of Education and Research in 2004 and proposed the much debated Fillon law on Education. In 2005, he was not included in the new government headed by Dominique de Villepin, but was elected senator for the Sarthe departement. His role as a political advisor in Nicolas Sarkozy's successful race for president led to his current role.