Pierre Vimont

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Pierre Vimont meeting with President George W. Bush during the credentials ceremony for newly appointed ambassadors on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2007, in the Oval Office

Pierre Vimont (born June 15, 1949) is the current Ambassador of France to the United States.

[edit] Biography

Vimont holds a license in law. He is a graduate of the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris and the École nationale d'administration (1997). His current rank in the French civil service is a "first-class plenipotentiary minister".

His first post was at the French Embassy in London, where he served as Second Secretary from 1977 to 1978 and First Secretary from 1978 to 1981. He then served at the Press and Information department in Paris from 1981 to 1985. From 1985 to 1986 he worked at the Institute for East-West Security in New York. Then he moved back to Europe to become the Second Councillor at the Permanent Representation of France at the European Community in Brussels, from 1986 to 1990. He subsequently became chief of staff to the minister delegate of European affairs from 1990 to 1993. He was the director for development and of scientific, technical, and educational cooperation (1993-1996) and subsequently the adjunct general director of cultural, scientific, and technical relations (1996-1997), and the director of European cooperation (1997-1999). From 1999 to 2002 he was the ambassador and permanent representative of France at the European Union in Brussels. From 2002 to 2007 he was the chief of staff for the minister.^[1]

President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed him to the position of Ambassador to the United States on August 1, 2007.

He is a knight of the National Order of Merit. He speaks French, English and Spanish.