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 - Nicolas Sarkozy
• Finance Minister - Francis Mer
• Foreign Minister - Dominique de Villepin

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]
• May - Citroën launches the C3 Pluriel, a small convertible.
• 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).
• September - Citroën cease production of the decade-old Saxo to be replaced by the 3-door C2. The Peugeot 106 also ceases production by this time.
• 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

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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

• 6 August - Prince Pierre of Orléans, grandson of Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France, Orleanist claimant to the throne of France.
• 24 August - Alexandre Coste, illegitimate son of Albert II, Prince of Monaco.

Deaths

January to March

• 11 January - Maurice Pialat, film director, screenwriter and actor (b.1925).
• 19 January - Françoise Giroud, journalist, screenwriter, writer and politician (b.1916).
• 30 January - Paul-André Meyer, mathematician (b.1934).
• 10 February - Alfred Aston, international soccer player (b.1912).
• 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).
• 28 February - Albert Batteux, international soccer player and manager (b.1919).
• 4 March - Sébastien Japrisot, author, screenwriter and film director (b.1931).
• 14 March - Jean-Luc Lagardère, engineer and businessman (b.1928).

April to June

• 7 April - Cecile de Brunhoff, storyteller (b.1903).
• 17 April - Jean-Pierre Dogliani, soccer player (b.1942).
• 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).
• 13 May - Jef Friboulet, painter and sculptor (b.1919).
• 23 May - Jean Yanne, humorist, actor and film director (b.1933).
• 25 May - Laurette Séjourné, archeologist and ethnologist (b.1911).
• 29 May - Pierre Restany, art critic and cultural philosopher (b.1930).
• 31 May - Nicolas Barone, cyclist (b.1931).
• 7 June - Georges Pichard, comics artist (b.1920).
• 13 June - Guy Lux, game show host and producer (b.1919).

July to September

• 4 July - André Claveau, singer (b.1915).
• 18 July - Marc Camoletti, playwright (b.1923).
• 1 August - Marie Trintignant, actress (b.1962).
• 9 August - Jacques Deray, film director (b.1929).
• 27 August - Pierre Poujade, politician (b.1920).
• 31 August - Pierre Cahuzac, soccer player (b.1927).
• 27 September - Jean Lucas, motor racing driver (b.1917).

October to December

• 15 October - Pierre Chanal, soldier and suspected serial killer (b.1946).
• 16 November - Bettina Goislard, United Nations worker (b.1974).
• 21 October - Jean Hélène, journalist (b.1955).
• 22 October - Philippe Ragueneau, journalist and writer (b.1917).
• 26 November - Stefan Wul, writer (b.1922).
• 6 December - Paul-Louis Halley, billionaire businessman (b.1934).
• 26 December - Georges Boudarel, academic and Communist militant (b.1926).
• December - Guy Héraud, politician and lawyer (b.1920).

Full date unknown

• Christian Boussus, tennis player (b.1908).
• François Boyer, screenwriter (b.1920).
• Francine Lancelot, dancer, choreographer and dance historian (b.1929).

References