Élisabeth Guigou served as Minister Delegate for European Affairs from 1990 to 1993. She was elected Regional Councilor of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) in 1992 and Member of the European Parliament in 1994. Elected as Member of Parliament for Vaucluse in June 1997, she was then appointed Minister of Justice (Garde des Sceaux), and later Minister of Employment and Solidarity (2000–2002). From June 2002 to June 2017, she served as Member of Parliament for Seine-Saint-Denis. She also chaired the Anna Lindh Foundation for Euro-Mediterranean Cultural Dialogue from 2015 to 2021.
She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI), as well as the Board of Directors of the Jacques Delors Institute.