Former European Commission president Jacques Delors has passed away at the age of 98.
His daughter, Martine Aubry, the mayor of Lille, informed the AFP news agency that her father, who also served as French finance minister from 1981 to 1984, died peacefully at his home in Paris.
An outspoken supporter of post-war European integration, Delors held the presidency of the organization for three terms, making him the longest-serving president from January 1985 until the end of 1994.
The Frenchman, a socialist, was also instrumental in the creation of the European Union’s groundbreaking single currency project.
‘Up yours, Delors’
In the UK, he is best known for being the target of The Sun’s anger in 1990, resulting in one of the most famous headlines, ‘Up Yours Delors’.
French President Emmanuel Macron referred to him as an “inexhaustible architect of our Europe” and a champion of human justice.
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator during Brexit, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Delors had been an inspiration and a reason to “believe in a ‘certain idea’ of politics, of France, and of Europe”.
Current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Delors “was a visionary who made Europe stronger”.
While former Belgian president, Guy Verhofstadt, said Delors was “inspirational” and Europe, he said, “needs his vision more than ever”.
His battles with Margaret Thatcher
Delors’s presidency was a period of rapid change in Europe’s emerging union, marked by confrontations between those who passionately believed in an “ever closer union” and those like UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who staunchly resisted any transfer of power to Brussels.
A ‘pantomime villain for Tory MPs’
Sky’s chief political correspondent, Jon Craig, referred to him as a “giant of European politics” who played the role of “pantomime villain for Conservative MPs”.
EU enlargement in a time of rapid change
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors, born in Paris in 1925, was a major figure in European politics, overseeing the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and laying the groundwork for the single market, one of the EU’s defining achievements. He also oversaw the period of rapid enlargement of the European Community, and his commitment to a united Germany helped to solidify the Franco-German relationship at the heart of the EU.
Opinions of him varied, with some finding him confrontational, while others were impressed by his intellect.
Describing himself, Delors once said: “I don’t hide. I make mistakes, I lose my temper. But people say, ‘that guy, he’s human’. I shall never be a great politician because I cannot get concerned about my image.”