2001 in France

Incumbents

• President: Jacques Chirac
• Prime Minister: Lionel Jospin

  Events

• March – The Renault Vel Satis is launched at the Geneva Motor Show.
• 8 March – Cantonales Elections held.
• 11 March – Cantonales Elections held.
• 11 March – Municipal Elections held.
• 18 March – Municipal Elections held.
• April – PSA Peugeot Citroën replaces two of its longest running cars – the Citroën Xantia and Peugeot 306 – with the Citroën C5 and Peugeot 307 respectively.
• September – Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo.
• 21 September – The AZote Fertilisant chemical factory in Toulouse, explodes, killing 29 and seriously wounding over 2500.
• November – The Peugeot 307 is voted European Car of the Year.

  Sport

• 15 April – Paris–Roubaix cycle race won by Servais Knaven of the Netherlands.
• 1 July – French Grand Prix won by Michael Schumacher of Germany.
• 7 July – Tour de France begins.
• 29 July – Tour de France ends, won by Lance Armstrong of the United States.

  Births

• 5 April – Thylane Blondeau, model and the daughter of soccer player Patrick Blondeau

  Deaths

January to March

• 10 January – Jacques Marin, actor.
• 21 January – Jean-Marie Goasmat, cyclist.
• 30 January – Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor.
• 8 February – Raymond Polin, philosopher.
• 18 February – Balthus, artist.
• 19 February – Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter.
• 4 March – Jean René Bazaine, painter, stained glass window designer and writer.

  April to June

• 10 April – Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, film director.
• 19 April – André du Bouchet, poet.
• 20 April – Maurice Lauré, creator of taxe sur la valeur ajoutée .
• 6 May – René Bondoux, fencer
• 14 May – Paul Bénichou, writer, critic and literary historian.
• 15 May – Jean-Philippe Lauer, architect and Egyptologist.
• 15 May – Sacha Vierny, cinematographer.
• 17 May – Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician.
• 6 June – Marie Brémont, supercentenarian, the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death.
• 11 June – Pierre Eyt, Cardinal.
• 13 June – Louis de Maigret, Military officer.
• 15 June – Henri Alekan, cinematographer.
• 18 June – René Dumont, agronomist, sociologist and environmental politician.
• 23 June – Corinne Calvet, actress.

  July to September

• July – Hélène de Beauvoir, painter.
• 3 August – Jeanne Loriod, musician.
• 4 August – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist.
• 12 August – Pierre Klossowski, writer, translator and artist.
• 15 August – Raymond Abescat, oldest man in France and oldest veteran in France at the time of his death.
• 25 August – Philippe Léotard, actor and singer.
• 4 September – Simone de la Chaume, golfer.

  October to December

• 18 October – Micheline Ostermeyer, athlete and pianist.
• 31 October – Régine Cavagnoud, alpine skier.
• 11 November – Pierre Billaud, radio reporter and journalist, killed in Afghanistan.
• 12 December – Jean Richard, actor.
• 18 December – Gilbert Bécaud, singer, composer and actor.
• 19 December – Marcel Mule, classical saxophonist.

  Full date unknown

• Édouard Artigas, fencer.
• Marcel Bleibtreu, Trotskyist activist and theorist.
• Pierre Chevalier, caver and mountaineer.
• André Pascal, songwriter and composer.