The “founding father” of the European Union, Jacques Delors, has died: without him there would be no euro

Jacques Delors, the former president of the European Commission and considered the founding father of today’s EU, has died aged 98 at his home in Paris.

Delors, a former French government minister, went down in history as a passionate supporter of post-war European integration and was considered the driving force behind the introduction of the euro, the EU’s single currency, and the creation of the bloc’s single market, The Guardian writes.

French President Emmanuel Macron became one of the first to pay tribute to the late Jacques Delors. “Statesman of French destiny. The inexhaustible architect of our Europe. A fighter for human justice,” he said in his statement. – Jacques Delors was all this. His determination, his ideals and his integrity will always inspire us. I pay tribute to his work and his memory and share the grief of his family.”

As The Guardian recalls, Jacques Delors was an MEP in the European Parliament from 1979 to 1981 and finance minister in the government of François Mitterrand from 1981 to 1984. He was President of the European Commission for three terms from 1985 to the end of 1994 – longer than anyone else in that position – during which time he pushed for the introduction of the single market, which came into force on 1 January 1993 and allowed free trade. the movement of people, capital, goods and services within what was the European Economic Community.

In relations with Great Britain, Delors repeatedly came into conflict with the then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher. He became the main “bogeyman” for British Eurosceptics.

Recalling his row with Thatcher, former Labor leader Lord Kinnock told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme: “To portray him as some fanatical federalist who wanted to create some country called Europe with all its trappings was extremely misleading, but in it suited her political goals at the time. And, of course, the caricature stuck. Jacques was not like that at all.”

Lord Kinnock described Delors as “a very polite, calm, highly intelligent problem solver”, adding: “He would not allow his judgment of what was possible, what was practical, what was feasible, to be clouded by personal animosity.”

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Delors “was the extraordinary architect of the modern European Union, and whether you agreed with his vision or not, he was an extraordinary political figure.”

He added: “Without Delors there would be neither the Maastricht Treaty nor the euro. Indeed, without Delors there would be no single market. He used concerns about post-Cold War Germany to create a new federal structure for Europe, and he did it on a dazzling scale. His ideas never suited Britain… but today no one can doubt his legacy.”

On the left, Delors, a member of the French Socialist Party, was widely considered the right president for France to have in 1995. The party tried to persuade him to stand, and polls showed that he would have a good chance of getting onto the Champs-Élysées. But Delors refused to run, and the Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin lost to the conservative Jacques Chirac.

Political journalist Françoise Fressoz, writing in Le Monde, said Delors was “a true socialist, outraged by injustice, wanting to change the course of things.”

Former EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier notes on social media: “Jacques Delors was for many of us, despite political differences, a source of inspiration and a reason to believe in the “certain idea” of politics, France and Europe… He was a humanist who worked for the benefit of cooperation and solidarity among Europeans.”

Former French President François Hollande emphasized that Delors “dedicated his entire life” to public service: “Jacques Delors was not a politician like others. His death will evoke strong emotions throughout Europe, such is his contribution to its formation. It reminds us of an era during which a generation tirelessly strived for an ideal and ensured that it was translated into action and progress.”

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, wrote on social media X: “Jacques Delors was a visionary who made our Europe stronger. His life’s work is a united, dynamic and prosperous European Union. It shaped entire generations of Europeans, including mine. Let us honor his legacy by continually renewing our Europe.”

European Council President Charles Michel called him “a great Frenchman and a great European” who “went down in history as one of the builders of our Europe.”

Christine Lagarde, President of the European Central Bank, said: “With the passing of Jacques Delors, Europe has lost a true statesman. His achievements were numerous, including leading the creation of the European single market and the path he paved for our single currency, the euro. Rest in peace”.

Delors is survived by her daughter Martine Aubry, who was first secretary of the Socialist Party and mayor of Lille in northern France since 2001.