Catherine Lalumière began her political career as a member of the French National Assembly (1981-1989), where she also held the offices of Secretary of State for the Civil Service and Administrative Reforms, Secretary of State in charge of Consumption, and Secretary of State for European Affairs. Ms Lalumière became Secretary General of the Council of Europe in 1989. Following the fall of the Iron Curtain, Ms Lalumière concentrated on establishing and maintaining contacts with countries in the process of democratising to allow for their quick accession to the Council of Europe. Upon leaving her post as Secretary General, Ms Lalumière was elected as a Member of the European Parliament in 1994, becoming Vice-President of the European Parliament in 2001. Catherine Lalumière has a PhD in Law and is a university lecturer. She has been President of the European Association of the Schools of Political Studies of the Council of Europe since 2008, and is also President of the Maison de l’Europe in Paris.