Jean-Pierre Cot (born 23 October 1937 in Chêne-Bougeries, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland) is a French jurist who has served as a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

Biography

He is the son of Pierre Cot, also a politician and minister. After studying law at Sorbonne University in Paris from 1955 to 1965, he earned a Ph.D. in 1966. He then was professor of public law and international law at the University of Amiens, then the University of Paris I, before being elected as a deputy for Savoie in 1973. He was later re-elected, before joining the Socialist government of Pierre Mauroy in 1981 as deputy minister in charge of Co-operation and Development. He was a Member of European Parliament (MEP) in 1978–1979 and 1984–1999, and chaired the socialist group of the European Parliament between 1989 and 1994, before becoming its vice-president in 1997. Since 2002, he has been a member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. In 2017, he was made an officer of the legion of honour.