2001 in France

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Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events in 2001 History of France · Timeline · Years

Events from the year 2001 in France.

• President: Jacques Chirac
• Prime Minister: Lionel Jospin

• 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.^[1]
• September – Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo.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.^[2]

• 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.

• 24 March – William Saliba, footballer
• 5 April – Thylane Blondeau, model and the daughter of soccer player Patrick Blondeau

• 10 January – Jacques Marin, actor (born 1919).
• 21 January – Jean-Marie Goasmat, cyclist (born 1913).
• 30 January
  • Jean-Pierre Aumont, actor (born 1911).
  • Michel Marcel Navratil, last French survivor and male survivor of the Titanic disaster (born 1908)^[3]
• 8 February – Raymond Polin, philosopher (born 1910).
• 18 February – Balthus, artist (born 1908).
• 19 February – Charles Trenet, singer and songwriter (born 1913).
• 4 March – Jean René Bazaine, painter, stained glass window designer and writer (born 1904).

• 10 April – Jean-Gabriel Albicocco, film director (born 1936).
• 19 April – André du Bouchet, poet (born 1924).
• 20 April – Maurice Lauré, creator of taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (TVA) (born 1917).
• 6 May – René Bondoux, fencer (born 1905)
• 14 May – Paul Bénichou, writer, critic and literary historian (born 1908).
• 15 May – Jean-Philippe Lauer, architect and Egyptologist (born 1902).
• 15 May – Sacha Vierny, cinematographer (born 1919).
• 17 May – Jacques-Louis Lions, mathematician (born 1928).
• 6 June – Marie Brémont, supercentenarian, the oldest recognized person in the world from November 2000 until her death (born 1886).
• 11 June – Pierre Eyt, cardinal (born 1934).
• 13 June – Louis de Maigret, Military officer (born 1914).
• 15 June – Henri Alekan, cinematographer (born 1909).
• 18 June – René Dumont, agronomist, sociologist and environmental politician (born 1904).
• 23 June – Corinne Calvet, actress (born 1925).

• 1 July – Hélène de Beauvoir, painter (born 1910).
• 3 August – Jeanne Loriod, musician (born 1928).
• 4 August – Michel de Salzmann, psychiatrist (born 1923).
• 12 August – Pierre Klossowski, writer, translator and artist (born 1905).
• 15 August – Raymond Abescat, oldest man in France and oldest veteran in France at the time of his death (born 1891).
• 25 August – Philippe Léotard, actor and singer (born 1940).
• 4 September – Simone de la Chaume, golfer (born 1908).

• 18 October – Micheline Ostermeyer, athlete and pianist (born 1922).
• 31 October – Régine Cavagnoud, alpine skier (born 1970).
• 11 November – Pierre Billaud, radio reporter and journalist, killed in Afghanistan (born 1970).
• 12 December – Jean Richard, actor (born 1921).
• 18 December – Gilbert Bécaud, singer, composer and actor (born 1927).
• 19 December – Marcel Mule, classical saxophonist (born 1901).

• Édouard Artigas, fencer (born 1915).
• Marcel Bleibtreu, Trotskyist activist and theorist (born 1918).
• Pierre Chevalier, caver and mountaineer (born 1905).
• André Pascal, songwriter and composer (born 1932).

• 2001 in French television
• List of French films of 2001