Jean-Marie is a lawyer and a French politician. He served as Minister for Commerce as well as Secretary of State for Commerce in the government of the Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, between 1984 and 1986, under the presidency of François Mitterrand. He also served as Secretary of State for Cooperation and Francophonie, then as Secretary of State for Defence and Veterans and as Secretary of State for Justice, during the government of Prime Minister François Fillon, between 2007 and 2010, under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy.

In March 2022, Jean-Marie was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to serve as Chair of a Commission for Veterans' affairs. He is currently a member Emeritus of the French Parliament.

He was Senator between 2004 and 2020 and former President of the France – Gulf Cooperation Countries’ Committee at the French Senate till 2020.

Jean-Marie was a member of the Economics and Security Committee of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) from 2015 to 2020. He was a member of the French National Assembly from 1981 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2002. He was the Mayor of the city of Mulhouse from 1989 to 2010.

Jean-Marie holds a Master's degree in Private Law from the Faculty of Law, Political Science and Management, University of Strasbourg. He is a Colonel in the French Army Reserve.

He received several international distinctions:

- Officier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur (France)

- Grosse Verdienstkreuz (Germany)

- Cavaliere Ordine al Merito (Italy)

- Cruz de Oficial de la Orden del Mérito Civil (Spain)

- Officier dans l’Ordre du Cèdre (Lebanon)