A Holocaust survivor of both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Bergen-Belsen, she was a firm believer in European integration as a way of guaranteeing peace.

"[9] When Germany invaded France and the Vichy regime came to power in June 1940, the family managed to avoid being deported, as Nice had been included in the Italian occupation zone.

Denise left for Lyon to join the resistance, while 16-year-old Simone continued studying and passed her baccalauréat exam under her real name in March 1944.

Her sister Denise was deported to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, which she survived, and after the end of World War II in Europe was reunited with Simone.

[13] Simone Jacob returned to France and started studying law at the University of Paris before going to the Institut d'études politiques, where she met Antoine Veil.

[17][18] She entered the National Penitentiary Administration under the Ministry of Justice, where she held a senior position and was responsible for judicial affairs.

[17][20] In 1976, Veil also helped to introduce a ban on smoking in certain public places and worked on the problem of medically underserved rural areas.

[23] In 1981, Veil won the prestigious Charlemagne Prize, an award given to honour the contributions made by individuals to advancing the unity of Europe.

[24] After the end of her term as President in 1982, she remained a member of the European Parliament; she was re-elected for the last time in the 1989 election, stepping down in 1993.

In 2005, she put herself briefly on leave from the council in order to campaign in favour of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe.

[26] In response, Veil said that she, the president of the Constitutional Council and colleagues had deliberated on the issue beforehand and they had given her permission to take her leave without having to resign.

[31] The ceremony at les Invalides was attended by President Macron, Holocaust survivors, politicians and dignitaries.

In his speech during the ceremony, President Macron announced the decision to rebury Veil and her husband in the Panthéon,[32] which was done on 1 July 2018.

[43] The intent is to draw attention to efforts to promote women's autonomy, education, participation in leadership roles, and freedom from violence and discrimination.

[43] The prize is awarded each year on 8 March, International Women's Day, with €100,000 to support work in the winner's area of concern.

On 8 March 2019, the first Simone Veil Prize was awarded to Aissa Doumara Ngatansou, co-founder of the Association for the Elimination of Violence against Women (ALVF) in Cameroon.