Serge Ramière, knighted to the French National Order of Merit
After a life-long career dedicated to the defence of the French small skin leather sector and to the social affairs of FFTM (the French umbrella organisation for the tanning industry), Serge Ramière has been crowned with the award of a high official French distinction. The National Order of Merit is a French order of merit founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The higher rank of Chevalier (Knight) is granted after a minimum of 10 years of public service and "distinguished merits".
During the official ceremony held on 22 July in Mazamet (France), in representation of the French State, Mr Paul Batigne, Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur, gave the insigna of “Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite » to Mr Serge Ramière.
Mr Paul Batigne and Mr Jean Claude Ricomard former members of the COTANCE Presidency, both Légion d'Honneur holders, as well as many friends and colleagues accompanied Serge Ramière in the festivities.
Serge Ramière participated in his first COTANCE meeting in 1979 in Spain, the first of many Assembly Generals across the EU. He remembers those encounters:
“Each host association would let us taste its national gastronomy specialties and invite us to visit beautiful touristic places. We were all proud to participate in COTANCE meetings.”
As of 1992 he represented the French Federation of Tanners as President of its Social Commission on Employment and Training and for 36 years provided COTANCE with his expertise in social dialogue and knowledge of the “mégisserie” in the Mazamet region where he was born. He retired in 2015.
All the details about the Promotion 2020 are brought in the French Official Journal of January 1st 2021 (nr2 p. 90/131): the merits at work were acknowledged by President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Jean Castex and Labour Minister Elisabeth Borne.
COTANCE congratulates Mr Serge Ramière for this well-deserved award.
In attendance: Senator Folliot, Mayor Christian Carayol (Pont-de-l’Arn), Mayor Olivier Fabre (Mazamet), Mrs Andrée Farenc (Association Nationale des Médaillés ONM), Jean-Claude Ricomard and Paul Batigne, Officers of the Légion d’Honneur, Enzo and Jordane Ramiere, grand-children of Serge.