1. Michel Rocard served as Prime Minister under Francois Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the Revenu minimum d'insertion, a social minimum welfare program for indigents, and achieved the Matignon Accords regarding the status of New Caledonia.
Michel Rocard was a member of the European Parliament, and was strongly involved in European policies until 2009.
The son of nuclear physicist Yves Michel Rocard, he entered politics as a student leader while he was studying at Sciences Po.
Michel Rocard became chair of the French Socialist Students affiliated to the main French Socialist party at the time, the French Section of the Workers' International, and studied at the Ecole nationale d'administration, after which he chose to enter the prestigious Inspection des finances.
Michel Rocard was a prominent figure during the May 1968 crisis, supporting the auto-gestionary project.
Michel Rocard lost his parliamentary seat in 1973, but retook it in 1978.
Michel Rocard resigned from the cabinet in due to his opposition to the introduction of the proportional system for the legislative elections.
Michel Rocard hoped, in vain, that Mitterrand would not run for re-election so he could be the PS candidate in the 1988 presidential election.
Michel Rocard created a minimum social assistance scheme, the RMI, which helped to alleviate poverty.
However, according to Mauroy, who led the party, Michel Rocard stood as the "natural candidate" for the following presidential elections.
Michel Rocard remained as leader of the Socialist Party for only one year, in part because of the PS's complete defeat during the 1994 European elections.
Michel Rocard was a member of the European Parliament, and chaired the Committee on Development and Cooperation, the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport.
Michel Rocard was known for his hostility for proposed directives to allow software patents in Europe, and has been an outspoken opponent of what he considers to be manoeuvres to force the decision on this issue.
Michel Rocard publicly admitted, after the election, having asked Segolene Royal to step down in his favor in March 2007, one month before the first round of voting.
Michel Rocard furthermore explained that he had accepted to speak before the Gracques' spring university because political parties were not suited any more to serious reflexion.
Michel Rocard remained active in European Union politics as late as June 2014, when he delivered his thoughts on the British on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
Michel Rocard quoted Churchill's words about the "United States of Europe", issued a strong condemnation of the UK policy of the 40 years to that date, and begged for a European strongman, which he saw in Martin Schulz.
Michel Rocard was a supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.
In June 2007, Michel Rocard was admitted to the Calcutta Medical Research Institute, Kolkata, India where doctors found he had a blood clot in the brain and was operated upon.
Michel Rocard was discharged from the hospital on 10 July 2007.
On 30 March 2012, Michel Rocard was on a visit to Stockholm, Sweden to attend a meeting regarding the Arctic Council.
Doctors decided later that day that Michel Rocard should spend the night at the hospital's intensive-care medicine unit for observation.
Michel Rocard died on 2 July 2016 in Paris, at the age of 85.