He then became an adviser to Pierre Moscovici as a member of the Convention on the Future of Europe and later to Dominique Strauss-Kahn as a leading figure of the French opposition.

Terra Nova quickly emerged as a major voice in French policy debates, unambiguously on the centre-left but independent from the Socialist Party.

[2] Among its key contributions, spearheaded by Ferrand from 2008, was the recommendation of a system of open primaries to designate the Socialist Party's candidate to the next presidential election.

[4] The next day, 4 July, a memorial service was held in Church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris for his funeral, with attendance of several French political leaders including Claude Bartolone, Bertrand Delanoë, Lionel Jospin, Arnaud Montebourg, Michel Rocard, Ségolène Royal, and Manuel Valls.

[5] In the United States, the Center for American Progress published a statement in Ferrand's memory highlighting his influence in the French center-left and internationally.