Nicole Bricq (10 June 1947 – 6 August 2017) was a member of the Senate of France, representing the Seine-et-Marne department.

Early life and education

Bricq received a degree in private law from Montesquieu University in 1970.

Political career

From 1972 on Bricq was a member of the Socialist Party. On 16 May 2012 Bricq was appointed Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy in the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault. After the 2012 legislative election, she was appointed Minister for Foreign Trade. She was replaced at the Ministry of Ecology by Delphine Batho. Whereas some members of the government, such as Cécile Duflot, considered this nomination like a promotion, many felt that it was due to the decision taken by Bricq to stop all drilling contracts signed with Shell in French Guiana, a decision that has been reversed since then. In 2013, Bricq complained in a television interview that President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso had “done nothing during his term”, suggesting that Barroso’s reappointment in 2009 had been a mistake. She also emerged as a vocal critic of how the European Commission led the negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. On 11 February 2014, Bricq was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama in honor of President François Hollande at the White House. Bricq was one of the earliest supporters of Emmanuel Macron and his party, La République En Marche!, instead of supporting Socialist Party candidate, Benoît Hamon.

Death

On 6 August 2017, Bricq died in hospital in Poitiers after an accidental fall.