Charles Josselin

Charles Josselin (; 31 March 1938 – 1 September 2026) was a French politician of the Socialist Party (PS).

Life and career Born in Pleslin-Trigavou on 31 March 1938, Josselin grew up in a family of farmers and earned a licentiate from the University of Rennes 1; there, he joined the Union Nationale des Étudiants de France. He notably published a brochure against the Algerian War and supported reconciliation with the National Liberation Front. He then graduated from the Sciences Po and began his career as a financial secretary with the Banque de l'Union Parisienne.

In 1971, he joined the PS and entered politics in 1973, following his election to the National Assembly in Côtes-d'Armor's 2nd constituency, defeating incumbent René Pleven by 51 votes. In 1976, he became president of the General Council of Côtes-d'Armor, a capacity in which he served until 1997. He was defeated in the 1978 legislative election by before returning in 1981. From 1979 to 1981, he served as a member of the European Parliament. In his capacity as mayor of Pleslin-Trigavou, he handled the Amoco Cadiz oil spill, where Royal Dutch Shell was ordered to pay 220 million francs to the Breton municipalities and 1.05 billion francs to the French state in compensation for the damage caused by the oil spill. As president of the General Council of Côtes-d'Armor, he oversaw the renaming of the department from Côtes-du-Nord. He then served as Secretary of State for the Sea under Prime Minister Pierre Beregovoy. He secured parliamentary approval for reform to dockers' labor rights, merging them with those of standard French laws. However, he faced opposition from the General Confederation of Labour for his monopolistic power over the hiring of dockers. His chief of staff was notably future Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.

In 1997, Josselin was named Minister Delegate for Cooperation and Francophonie, where he served as chair of the Commission on Decentralized Cooperation within the . In January 2000, he travelled to the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, and Chad, reiterating France's African policy as one of "neither interference nor indifference", expressing a desire for the end of French inverventionism on the continent. He had been awarded a distinction by President of Cameroon Paul Biya in 1998 when France was drafting a debt relief plan for Yaoundé. He did not stand in the 2002 legislative election, but held a seat in the Senate from 2006 to 2008 following the death of .

On 4 April 2008, Josselin was convicted of breach of trust by a criminal court in Paris for the improper use of two government vehicles during his time as president of the General Council of Côtes-d'Armor, as well as fuel and highway toll costs, resulting in a loss of 99,000 francs. Prosecuted alongside and , he was exempted from punishment due to the fact that he had remedied these offenses and the events were "isolated incidents" and had occurred "long ago".

Josselin deid on 1 September 2026, at the age of 88.

Medals Honour medal of railroads