Sunday

26th Mar 2023

Former French PM to work for Russian oil firm

  • Fillon was a French presidential candidate in 2017 (Photo: UMP)

Former French prime minister François Fillon is preparing to work for a Russian oil firm, in just the latest case of EU-Russia revolving doors.

Fillon, who led the French government between 2007 and 2012, was nominated to join the board of Russian state-owned firm Zarubezhneft, according to a Russian government notice published on Friday (11 June).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The move has not yet been confirmed and the government notice mentioned other candidates.

It listed Fillon as president of a consulting firm called Apteras.

Zarubezhneft deals with fossil fuel extraction in Algeria, Cuba, and Syria.

Meanwhile, the 67-year old French politician also attended the St Petersburg Economic Forum, a Russian symposium, last week, even though Russia's borders were meant to be closed to French people, French newspaper Le Monde reported.

Fillon called EU sanctions on Russia, imposed over its invasion of Ukraine in 2014, "stupid and illegal" while he was there, Le Monde added.

Meanwhile, his upcoming Russia oil job was vilified by left-wing and liberal French politicians.

"Money ... rots everything, corrupts even the conscience of men", Olivier Faure, the chairman of the French Socialist Party, said.

"Could you imagine general de Gaulle being paid by the Russian state?", Nathalie Loiseau, a French senior MEP in the liberal Renew group in the European Parliament also said, referring to former French leader Charles de Gaulle.

Fillon had, in any case, earlier disgraced himself by embezzling state funds via fake jobs for his relatives - a crime of which he was convicted in 2020.

He also had a track record of verbally attacking EU sanctions on Russia back when he was in still in office as prime minister.

Former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder, who is now a lobbyist for Russian firm Gazprom, is the best known case of a senior EU politician who went to work for the Kremlin.

But the list also includes several Austrian names, including Austria's ex-chancellors Christian Kern and Wolfgang Schüssel, its ex-foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, and ex-finance minister, Jörg Schelling.

Opinion

EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict

Solar panels, wind-turbines, electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies require minerals including aluminium, cobalt and lithium — which are mined in some of the most conflict-riven nations on earth, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, and Kazakhstan.

Opinion

How much can we trust Russian opinion polls on the war?

The lack of Russian opposition to the Russo-Ukrainian War is puzzling. The war is going nowhere, Russian casualties are staggering, the economy is in trouble, and living standards are declining, and yet polls indicate that most Russians support the war.

Latest News

  1. EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict
  2. Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all
  3. Von der Leyen pledges to help return Ukrainian children
  4. EU leaders agree 1m artillery shells for Ukraine
  5. Polish abortion rights activist vows to appeal case
  6. How German business interests have shaped EU climate agenda
  7. The EU-Turkey migration deal is dead on arrival at this summit
  8. Sweden worried by EU visa-free deal with Venezuela

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality
  5. Promote UkraineInvitation to the National Demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on 25.02.2023
  6. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us