Olivier Véran

Olivier Véran (born 22 April 1980) is a French neurologist and politician who was Minister of Solidarity and Health in the governments of successive prime ministers Édouard Philippe and Jean Castex from 2020 to 2022. As such, he was a key figure amid the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

A member of Renaissance (named La République En Marche! until 2022) and formerly of the Socialist Party (until 2017), he represented the 1st constituency of the Isère department in the National Assembly from 2012 to 2015 and again from 2017 until 2020. He served as Spokesman of the Government and Deputy Minister for Democratic Renewal in the government of Élisabeth Borne (2022–2024).

Professional career
Véran worked as a neurologist at the Grenoble Alpes University Hospital. He has served as president of the Association of Hospital Assistants in Grenoble, spokesperson for the National Intersyncal of Hospital Interns, and advisor to the Departmental Order of Physicians of Isère.

Early career
Véran was first elected to the National Assembly for Isère as Geneviève Fioraso's substitute in the 2012 legislative election, as a member of the Socialist Party. During his time as a deputy, he was mandated by Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault with a government inquiry into the regulatory framework for blood products.

Véran unsuccessfully competed in the 2015 departmental election in the canton of Meylan for a seat in the Departmental Council of Isère. Shortly thereafter, Véran left the National Assembly, as Fioraso returned from service in government. In the 2015 regional election later that year, he was elected to the Regional Council of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. In 2016, Minister of Health Marisol Touraine appointed him to steer a committee in charge of drafting reform proposals for France's hospital financing.

Ahead of the 2017 presidential election, Véran endorsed Emmanuel Macron and joined En Marche! (later La République En Marche!). He was reelected to the National Assembly on 18 June 2017. In Parliament, he served as a member of the Committee on Social Affairs, where he was the rapporteur on social security and the government's pension reform plans.

Minister of Health, 2020–2022
Véran first became Minister for Solidarity and Health in the government of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe from 16 February 2020. In October 2020, he was one of several current and former government officials whose home was searched by French authorities following complaints about the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

During his time in office, Véran implemented the government's decision to make access to birth control free for women aged up to 25 years old from 2022 onwards.

Legislative elections of 2024
In the 2024 French legislative election, he arrived second at the issue of the first round, leading to a "triangular" second round. On 1 July 2024, he had not yet indicated whether he would quit the race before the second round, as requested by Emmanuel Macron.

Personal life
Véran was in a relationship from 2018 until 2021 with fellow politician Coralie Dubost, who sat in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2022.