The Jean Monnet Association and Professor Gerand Bossuat, Jean Monnet Chair ad personam, University of Cergy-Pontoise, invites you to participate in a roundtable discussion on:

Jean Monnet, Banker and Public Service

Friday, 3 December 2010 at the House of Jean Monnet

It became important at the Jean Monnet Association to have a scientific approach towards the story of Jean Monnet. To do this, the first roundtable discussion was started on a little-known aspect of his work at the time when he was a banker and businessman, “investment banker”, as coined by journalist John Davenport in 1944.

International financier, Monnet went into public affairs during World War I, then economic and monetary stabilization of Central Europe after the war, followed by the development of China during the 30s, the French and British rearmament, and then finally the American war effort. This discussion aims to shed light on the relationship between Monet the businessman, Monnet the banker, and his service to public interest. Was he dedicated to public interest in addition to his expertise, his private settings, or his business dealings? It is about knowing how Monnet understood the articulation between private and public, business and public interest, if he was dedicated to public interest or his private business networks, or how he, the banker, thought of public interests.

A useful comparison between the current state of Europe could be made.

For information and registration, contact the Jean Monnet Association at 01 56 33 71 00 or by e-mail