Jacques Delors, the former president of the European Commission (EC) and man credited with creating the modern European Union (EU), passed away at the age of 98, his daughter informs.
Delors passed away peacefully on Wednesday morning in his Parisian home, according to his daughter Martine Aubry.
His contribution to the single market’s creation allowed for the unrestricted flow of goods, people, and services throughout the bloc. Delors, who led Europe from 1985 to 1995, also established the foundation for the euro, the region’s unified currency. However, to those who were sceptical of integration, particularly in the UK, he represented Brussels’ meddling.
French President Emmanuel Macron hailed Delors, who held the position of French finance minister from 1981 to 1984, as a “statesman with a French destiny” and an “inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe”.
He was the president of the European Commission for the longest period of time—three terms. He was described as “a visionary who made our Europe stronger” by Ursula von der Leyen, the current head of the EC. He was a French socialist who firmly supported integration after the war.
During his leadership of the EU, the Schengen travel agreement and the Erasmus programme for student exchanges were established.
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