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Pierre-Emmanuel Guigo, Associate Professor Paris-Est Cr\xe9teil, and L\xe1szl\xf3 Andor, Secretary General of FEPS, analyse the figure of Fran\xe7ois Mitterrand on the 40th anniversary of his first electoral victory. They discuss how the energy of the 1968 movement contributed to a more progressive France and to the renovation of Parti Socialiste putting the focus on new topics like self-management, climate change and gender equality. All these changes contributed to Mitterrand\u2019s victory one decade later. Prof. Guigo also highlights the main achievements of Mitterrand during the 14 years while he was in office (likely to be an unbreakable record in French history), including the abolition of the death penalty, and the improvement of workers\u2019 rights. Much of the conversation covers the creation of the European Single Market and Single Currency, which also should be seen as key items of Mitterrand\u2019s political legacy. Together with Jacques Delors, he was committed to build a strong European Union, and gave a constructive reaction to the fall of the Berlin Wall. His flight to Sarajevo in 1992 on the other hand warned that ending all wars in Europe was still in some distance.