Charles Millon | |
Office: | Minister of Defence |
Term Start: | 18 May 1995 |
Term End: | 2 June 1997 |
President: | Jacques Chirac |
Primeminister: | Alain Juppé |
Predecessor: | François Léotard |
Successor: | Alain Richard |
Office2: | President of the Regional Council of Rhône-Alpes |
Term Start2: | 27 October 1988 |
Term End2: | 3 January 1999 |
Predecessor2: | Charles Béraudier |
Successor2: | Anne-Marie Comparini |
Office3: | Member of the National Assembly for Ain's 3rd constituency |
Term Start3: | 1997 |
Term End3: | 2001 |
Successor3: | Étienne Blanc |
Office4: | Mayor of Belley |
Term Start4: | 25 March 1977 |
Term End4: | 23 March 2001 |
Predecessor4: | Charles Vulliod |
Successor4: | Jean-Claude Travers |
Birth Date: | 13 November 1945 |
Birth Place: | Belley, Ain, France |
Party: | UDF (1978-1998) The Right (since 1999) |
Alma Mater: | University of Lyon |
Spouse: | Chantal Delsol |
Charles Marie Philippe Millon (in French pronounced as /ʃaʁl mijɔ̃/ born 13 November 1945) is a French politician who served as Minister of Defence from 1995 to 1997 under Prime Minister Alain Juppé. A former member of the Union for French Democracy (UDF), he represented Ain in the National Assembly (1978–1995; 1997–2001), where he took the presidency of the UDF group over from Jean-Claude Gaudin from 1989 until 1995. Millon also held the mayorship of his native town of Belley from 1977 to 2001 and presidency of the Regional Council of Rhône-Alpes from 1988 to 1999.[1]
As Defence Minister, Millon led the highly sensitive 1997 reform on the professionalisation of the French Armed Forces, which had been decided the year prior by President Jacques Chirac in order to abolish the military service. In 1998, to retain the presidency of the regional council, Millon agreed on being elected with votes from Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front (FN) and was subsequently expelled from the UDF. He then created his own party, The Right (LD), aiming at federating French liberals and conservatives, which met limited success.[2]
Millon ran in 2001 municipal election for Mayor of Lyon and served one term as a municipal councillor for the 3rd arrondissement. Having been defeated in his 2002 parliamentary run in Rhône, he was nominated in 2003 as France's ambassador to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, where he advocated for African development. He retained the position until 2007.