The Government chose the opportune time to entrust the presidency of the Superior Council of Archives (CSA) to former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. A graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris and Assas, Jean-Pierre Raffarin (77) began his career as an advertising communicator before joining the cabinet of Minister of Labor Lionel Stoléru in the 1970s. Elected president of the Poitou-Charentes regional council from 1988 to 2002, he was appointed Minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, Commerce and Crafts in the government of Alain Juppé (1995-1997). In May 2002, Jean-Pierre Raffarin succeeded Lionel Jospin as Prime Minister, under the presidency of Jacques Chirac. After his departure from Matignon in 2005, he returned to the Senate: elected senator of Vienne in 1995, he served there until 2017 and notably assumed the functions of vice-president of the Senate and chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces.
The former Prime Minister is a recognized player in Franco-Chinese relations. His first trip to China dates back to 1970 (Hong Kong, Macau), and since then he has continued to promote cooperation with Beijing. In his capacity as president of the Prospective and Innovation Foundation, Jean-Pierre Raffarin organizes bilateral cultural and economic forums. He thus participated in the 7th Franco-Chinese Cultural Forum in Changsha (Hunan) at the beginning of November 2025, affirming that “the diversity of civilizations is the starting point of exchanges” between France and China. His cultural diplomacy was rewarded in 2019 when he received the Medal of the Order of Friendship of the People’s Republic of China, the highest Chinese honor for a foreigner.
Placed under the Minister of Culture, the CSA is a consultative body created by decree in 1988. It advises the State on the national policy of archives, public and private, from their collection to their valorization, as well as on the scientific and cultural missions of the archive services. Designed as a space for consultation, it brings together parliamentarians, representatives of the State and communities, professionals and trade union organizations, meets at least once a year and can set up specialized commissions.
Jean-Pierre Raffarin succeeds Jean-Louis Debré (1944-2025), former Minister of the Interior (1995-1997) under the Jacques Chirac government. President of the National Assembly (2002-2007) then president of the Constitutional Council (2007-2016), Jean-Louis Debré was appointed president of the CSA in 2016. He will preside over the institution until his death.
