Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, an oncologist and French member of European Parliament with the Renew Europe group, has died at the age of 66.
The prominent health-focused MEP sat on the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, as well as the public health subcommittee. She was also co-chair of the MEPs Against Cancer group.
Announcing her death on X (formerly known as Twitter), Stéphane Séjourné, president of Renew, said that he had learned “with infinite sadness” of Trillet-Lenoir’s death.
“A model of integrity, Véronique had made the health of Europeans and our health security her fight, based on her university experience and her career,” he said.
Séjourné described Trillet-Lenoir as a “woman of commitments” full of humanity, benevolence and generosity. “Her struggles now become ours. We will commit to it with the same strength and the same determination,” said Séjourné.
Fellow Renew MEP Monica Semedo posted on X that Trillet-Lenoir had helped her detect her rare disease. “I will keep the image of you as a strong woman committed to the health of Europeans,” she said.
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides described Trillet-Lenoir as a “dear friend,” saying that the MEP was “committed, caring, passionate, always striving to make a difference in health.”
Trillet-Lenoir was a member of La République En Marche since 2017. Responding to her death, France’s government spokesperson and former Health Minister Olivier Véran said she was a great oncologist and that “working with her has been an honor and a pleasure.”
Trillet-Lenoir, who is from Lyon, was also a professor at the university hospital center of Lyon and sat on the board of directors of the National Cancer Institute. Details on the cause and location of her death are not yet publicly known.
Additional reporting by Eddy Wax.
