French politician and Member of the European Parliament until January 2009 he was nominated Ambassador on Antarctic and Arctic issues in March 2009 . He entered politics as a student leader whilst studying at the Ecole National d’Administration (E.N.A.). A finance inspector and anti colonialist, he went to Algeria and wrote a report regarding the widely unknown refugee camps. This report was leaked to the newspapers “Le Monde” and “France Observateur” in April 1959, almost costing Rocard his job. He led the Unified Socialist Party (PSU) from 1967 to 1974 and stood in the 1969 Presidential elections. In 1974, he joined François Mitterand and the Socialist Party. Under Mitterand’s first presidency, he was Minister of Regional and Economical Planning from 1981 to 1983 and Minister for Agriculture from 1983 to 1985. After Mitterand’s re-election, he was Prime Minister (1988-1991) and led the Matignon Accords regarding the status of New Caledonia.