Joël Batteux, mayor of Saint Nazaire from 1983 to 2014, died on Sunday 10th January at the age of 77.
Born in December 1943 in Vitré, Joël Batteux, a chemical engineer and then a research assistant at the University, joined the Saint-Nazaire town hall in 1977 before being elected mayor in 1983. He is also a member of the Pays de la Loire Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESER).
His investment in public affairs earned Joël Batteux the Order of the British Empire in October 2009 to pay tribute to the particularly strong Franco-British relations in Saint-Nazaire.
Saint-Nazaire, a long-standing member of Atlantic Cities, is committed to the joint defence of the interests of the port cities of Western Europe. In this respect, Joël Batteux took part with Paz Felgueroso (Mayor of Gijón from 1999 to 2011) in a seminar on Atlantic port cities on the occasion of European Maritime Day in Gijón in 2010, during which he said: “It is not a question of turning our backs on the port. We have to admit that the port is our centre, the heart of the city, and its planning depends on it. ”
Furthermore, Saint-Nazaire hosted the General Assembly of Atlantic Cities in 2013, during which Joël Batteux was able to show his support to the association’s secretariat by making Charles Nicol available as Secretary General between 2012 and 2014.
We extend our sincere condolences to his family, his loved ones and all the people of Saint Nazaire.
