Course offered: Workshop EU Transport Policy and EU Space Policy (8h) with Frédéric VERSINI
François Decoster has been a diplomatic adviser and political strategist with extensive knowledge of public policy. He began his almost 25-year career at the private office of François Leotard, French Defence Minister, as part of his personal secretariat. He was then Parliamentary Assistant to two MEPs and was coordinator of the delegation of French MEPs of the EPP group. He then served as a technical advisor to Noëlle Lenoir, Minister Delegate for European Affairs.
His positions in the French administration include European Issues Advisor to the Union Centriste of the French Senate. While serving as Diplomatic Advisor to Gilles de Robien, French Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Housing, Tourism and the Sea, François published a book on EU transport policy. He was also Diplomatic Advisor to the cabinet of Valérie Pécresse, Minister of Higher Education and Research (also in charge of space policy), where his work included overseeing the French presidency of the European Union. Francois was Deputy-Head of Cabinet to Minister of State David Douillet and then Edouard Courtial, and most recently Head of Cabinet (2019-2021) to Minister of State Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
François is a French national and a graduate of the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, Paris Descartes University (Master of Law) and the College of Europe (European Political and Administrative Studies Department) where he was a teaching assistant for two years. He has lectured at the College of Europe Executive Education Programmes in Bruges, MGIMO in Moscow, Ecole supérieure des Affaires in Beyrouth, Sciences-Po in Paris and Lille. He is colonel in the French Air Force Civil Reserve and Mayor of Saint-Omer (France), Vice-president of the Region Hauts-de-France and Member of the European Committee of the Regions where he chairs the Renew Europe political group.