Two decades ago, on January 11, 2006, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, the former President of France and principal architect of the draft European Constitution, delivered a high-profile lecture in the Principality of Monaco. The event, hosted by the Monaco Méditerranée Foundation at the Hôtel Hermitage, drew an audience that included Prince Albert II, then-recently ascended to the throne, as well as Jean-Paul Proust, Monaco’s Minister of State at the time, and numerous prominent figures from Monegasque society.
Giscard d’Estaing spoke on the theme “The European Union: political union or free-trade area?” - a question that, even then, encapsulated the central tensions surrounding the continent’s integration project. The address formed part of a dedicated cycle of conferences examining Europe’s challenges in the 21st century.
The gathering reflected Monaco’s longstanding interest in European affairs and its role as a discreet but influential venue for high-level political and intellectual exchange. Giscard d’Estaing’s appearance underscored the principality’s connections to France and to the broader European debate during a period when the future of the European Union remained a subject of intense discussion following the 2004 enlargement and amid negotiations over the constitutional treaty.
Photo credits: Archives Direction de la Communication