Dec 27, 2023 at 6:31 PM Update: 2 minutes ago
Former European Commission President Jacques Delors has died, his daughter reported on Wednesday. The French politician is 98 years old. He died in his sleep at his home in Paris.
Delors, a member of the Parti Socialiste, was committee chairman of what was then the European Economic Community from 1985 to 1995. In this capacity, the politician played a key role in the creation of the European Union as we know it today.
Under his rule, the single European market was created and the EU expanded from ten to fifteen member states. The Erasmus student exchange program also started. Delors also laid the foundation for the common currency, the euro, introduced in 1999.
Before he became committee chairman, Delors was already a member of the European Parliament and French Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs under President François Mitterrand.
Commenting on the death of his compatriot, French President Emmanuel Macron calls Delors “a tireless architect of Europe”.
Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte is “affected” by Delors’ death. He mentions him on social media X “a great European and one of the most important founders of the current European Union”.
Image: AFP
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2023-12-27 19:20:25
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