2001 in France

Events from the year 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 * September – Citroën launches the all-new C3 hatchback at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a replacement for the outdated Saxo.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

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

January to March

 * 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)
 * 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).

April to June

 * 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).

July to September

 * 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).

October to December

 * 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).

Full date unknown

 * 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).