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2003 in France

See also: 2002 in France, other events of 2003, 2004 in France.

Events from the year 2003 in France.

Incumbents

• President - Jacques Chirac
• Prime Minister - Jean-Pierre Raffarin
• Interior Minister - Dominique de Villepin
• Finance Minister - Nicolas Sarkozy
• Foreign Minister - Michel Barnier

Events

• 3 March - Speech of Dominique de Villepin, UNO against war in Iraq.
• 10 March - President Jacques Chirac promises to veto any UN resolution authorising war in Iraq.^[1]
• 30 May - Last flight of Air France's Concorde between Paris and New-York.
• 1 June - 29th G8 summit in Évian-les-Bains starts, with tight security and tens of thousands of protesters.
• 7 July - Corsica voters reject a referendum for increased autonomy from France by a very narrow margin.
• 11 August - A heat wave in Paris causes temperatures up to 44°C (112°F).
• 24 October - The Concorde makes its last commercial flight.
• 24 December - At the request of the United States Embassy in Paris, the French Government orders Air France to cancel several flights between France and the U.S. in response to terrorist concerns.

Arts and Literature

Sport

• 5 July - Tour de France begins.
• 6 July - French Grand Prix won by Ralf Schumacher of Germany.
• 27 July - Tour de France ends, won by Lance Armstrong of the United States.

Births

Deaths

• 11 January - Maurice Pialat, film director, screenwriter and actor (b.1925).
• 19 January - Françoise Giroud, journalist, screenwriter, writer and politician (b.1916).
• 20 February - Maurice Blanchot, writer, philosopher, and literary theorist (b.1907).
• 22 February - Daniel Toscan du Plantier, film critic.
• 24 February - Bernard Loiseau, chef (b.1951).
• 7 April - Cecile de Brunhoff, storyteller (b.1903).
• 18 April - Jean Drucker, journalist.
• 23 April - Fernand Fonssagrives, photographer (b.1910).
• 12 May - Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (b.1933).
• 1 August - Marie Trintignant, actress (b.1962).
• 10 August - Jacques Deray, film director (b.1929).
• 27 August - Pierre Poujade, politician (b.1920).
• 16 November - Bettina Goislard, United Nations worker (b.1974).
• 26 November - Stefan Wul, writer (b.1922).

References