Laurent Nuñez

Laurent Nuñez
Official portrait, 2025
Minister of the Interior
Assumed office
12 October 2025
Prime MinisterSébastien Lecornu
Preceded byBruno Retailleau
Prefect of Police of Paris
In office
21 July 2022 – 12 October 2025
Preceded byDidier Lallement
Succeeded byPatrice Faure
Head of the National Centre for Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism
In office
15 July 2020 – 20 July 2022
PresidentEmmanuel Macron
Preceded byPierre de Bousquet de Florian
Succeeded byPascal Mailhos
Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior
In office
16 October 2018 – 6 July 2020
Prime MinisterÉdouard Philippe
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byPosition abolished
Director-General for Internal Security
In office
22 June 2017 – 16 October 2018
Preceded byPatrick Calvar
Succeeded byNicolas Lerner
Personal details
BornLaurent Marie Joseph Nuñez
(1964-02-19) 19 February 1964
Bourges, France
PartyRenaissance
Alma materUniversity of Tours
École nationale d'administration
ProfessionCivil servant

Laurent Marie Joseph Nuñez-Belda (French pronunciation: [lɔʁɑ̃ nuɲɛs bɛlda]; born 19 February 1964) is a French senior civil servant and politician who has served as Minister of the Interior in the second government of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu since 12 October 2025.

He previously served as director-general of the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) from 2017 to 2018, Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior in the second government of Édouard Philippe from 2018 to 2020, head of the National Centre for Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism (CNRLT) from 2020 to 2022 and Prefect of Police of Paris from 2022 to 2025.

Early life and education

Of Spanish descent, Nuñez was born in Bourges in 1964.[1] His father was an architect; his mother was a teacher.[2] He studied public management at the University of Tours, obtaining a diplôme d'études supérieures spécialisées before joining the French civil service in 1989. In 1999, he graduated from the École nationale d'administration.[3]

Career

In 2008, Nuñez was named chief of staff (directeur de cabinet) of the prefect of Seine-Saint-Denis. In 2010 he was appointed subprefect of the arrondissement of Bayonne. In 2012, Nuñez became chief of staff at the Paris Police Prefecture, and in 2015 he was appointed police prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône.[3]

As part of the reorganisation of the French intelligence services Nuñez was appointed director-general at the DGSI in June 2017 by newly-elected President Emmanuel Macron, and succeeded Patrick Calvar. He pursued a new policy of "openness".[4]

In October 2018 he was appointed to the government as Secretary of State to the Minister of the Interior, under Minister Christophe Castaner.[5] He was especially responsible for the coordination of the intelligence services and the police.[6]

In July 2020, Nuñez was appointed Head of the National Center of Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism (CNRLT), succeeding Pierre de Bousquet de Florian.[7] In July 2022 he was named Paris police prefect.

In 2025, he was appointed Minister of the Interior, succeeding Bruno Retailleau, who left the government following policy disagreements. In 2026 Nuñez faced the killing of Quentin Deranque in Lyon, which he accused the ultra-left of orchestrating.[8]

Honours

National honours

Foreign honours

References

  1. ^ Éric Hacquemand, "Laurent Nuñez... vu de l’Intérieur", parismatch.com (in French). 19 December 2018.
  2. ^ Yves Bordenave (6 April 2023). "Laurent Nuñez, un préfet de police au garde-à-vous". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2023..
  3. ^ a b "Laurent NUÑEZ". Ministry of the Interior (in French).
  4. ^ Laurent Nuñez : l’expert de Castaner, Le Parisien, 16 October 2018.
  5. ^ Adam Nossiter (16 October 2018), Embattled Macron Shuffles French Cabinet, Again, in Favor of Loyalists The New York Times.
  6. ^ "Laurent Nunez, patron de la DGSI et nouvel homme fort du renseignement". lejdd.fr. 11 July 2017.
  7. ^ Laurent Nuñez va être nommé patron de la «task force» antiterroriste de l'Élysée Le Figaro, July 15, 2020.
  8. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (16 February 2026). "French police launch murder inquiry after far-right activist's death in Lyon". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 16 February 2026.
  9. ^ Décret du 29 janvier 2025 portant promotion à titre exceptionnel dans l'ordre national de la Légion d'honneur (in French). Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  10. ^ Décret du 15 mai 2015 - JO du 16 mai 2015.
  11. ^ "Bulletin officiel des décorations, médailles et récompenses No. 06 du 9 décembre 2024 p. 12 - Légifrance". www.legifrance.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  12. ^ Granting the Decoration of the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle to thirty-one citizens of the French Republic. Website of the Official Journal of the Federation.