Former European Commission President Jacques Delors dies: What's known
Former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors (photo: flickr.net)
Jacques Delors died at the age of 98. He was also known as the "architect of the modern EU", according to BBC News.
The politician's death was reported by his daughter Martine Aubry.
"He died in his sleep this morning in his Paris home," Aubry said.
Jacques Delors' political career
Jacques Delors was
- a member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1981,
- the Minister of Finance in 1981 - 1984
- President of the European Commission in 1985-1995.
Under his presidency, the EU completed the creation of a common market space, concluded the Schengen agreements allowing travel within the EU, and introduced a unified European currency, the euro.
Politicians' words about Jacques Delors
French President Emmanuel Macron described Delors as "a statesman with a French destiny" and "an inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe."
"A statesman of French destiny. An inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe. A fighter for human justice. Jacques Delors was all of these things. His commitment, his ideals, and his righteousness will always inspire us. I salute his work and his memory and share the pain of his loved ones," the French president wrote on his Twitter page.
European Commission President Ursula von den Leyer said he was "a visionary who made our Europe stronger."
"Jacques Delors was a visionary who made our Europe stronger. His life's work was a united, dynamic, and prosperous European Union. It shaped generations of Europeans, including mine. Let's honor his legacy by constantly renewing our Europe," the President wrote on her page.
The President of the European Council Charles Michel called him "a great Frenchman and a great European" who "entered history as one of the builders of our Europe".
"Jacques Delors led the transformation of the European Economic Community towards a true Union based on humanistic values and supported by a single market and a single currency, the euro. He was a passionate and concrete defender of it until his last days. A great Frenchman and a great European, he went down in history as one of the builders of our Europe. Today I express my sincere condolences to his family," the President wrote.
