2023-12-28 19:14:09
Speaking to RFI, Ana Gomes highlighted Delors’ vision of a Europe that invested in justice and social progress and that made a difference in regulation and peace in the world. For the former MEP, “Jacques Delors’ ideology is greatly missed”.
Jacques Delors, one of the “fathers” of the European Union (EU) and the creation of the euro, died this Wednesday at the age of 98.
“He died this morning, at his residence in Paris, while he was sleeping,” Martine Aubry, Delors’ daughter, told AFP.
Delors was born in the French capital, on July 20, 1925. He married Marie Lephaille in 1948, with whom he had two children: Martine Aubry, the current mayor of Lille, and Jean-Paul, who died of leukemia in 1982.
He was Minister of Economy between 1981 and 1984, and dashed the hopes of the French left by refusing to run in the presidential elections in 1995, despite being the favorite in the polls.
He was later appointed president of the European Commission. He held the position from 1985 to 1995, during a period that was marked by the fall of the Berlin Wall (1989) – which put an end to the division that existed in Europe after the Second World War.
Delors played a central role in the conception of today’s Europe with the creation of the single market, the signing of the Schengen agreements (on the free movement of people), the launch of the Erasmus student exchange program and the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. Under his mandate, the Economic and Monetary Union was launched, which led to the creation of the euro, the single currency used by 20 of the 27 current EU members.
Until the last few days, Delors defended the strengthening of European federalism and called for more “boldness” in response to the United Kingdom’s departure from the EU and attacks from “populists of all kinds”.
“The degree to which he personified Europe was evident in the way the world press referred to him: ‘Mr Europe’, ‘Czar of Europe’….”, wrote biographer Helen Drake in “Jacques Delors – Perspectives on a European Leader “.
World leaders react to Delors’ death
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described Delors as “a visionary who has made our Europe stronger” and whose “work has shaped entire generations of Europeans”.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, praised “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, highlighted Delors’ role in the European single market and said Europe had “lost a true statesman”.
Socialist Pedro Sánchez, head of government of Spain, the country that holds the biannual presidency of the Council of the European Union, published in X: “Without him, Europe would not be what it is today. We will follow his legacy, to consolidate further advances and progress in the Union.”
The politician was the “inexhaustible architect of our Europe”, said French President Emmanuel Macron on social media.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed Delors as a “visionary” and an “architect of the EU as we know it”.
Portuguese Prime Minister António Costa hopes that Delors’ legacy will inspire European leaders to strengthen the EU. “At a time when the European Union is once again facing unprecedented challenges, Delors’ legacy should stimulate renewed commitment” , wrote on X.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described Delors as a “visionary statesman.” “Delors transformed Europe through tireless service to the idea of a complete and free Europe,” he said.
Ana Gomes: “Jacques Delors’ ideology is missed by Europe”
Speaking to RFI, Ana Gomes highlighted Delors’ vision of a Europe that was committed to justice and social progress and that made a difference in regulation and peace in the world. The former MEP hopes that Delors’ disappearance will make leaders and Europeans reflect, in the context of the next European elections, in order to reinforce the essential values of building the European project as a project of peace and social progress.
“He never lost his strong social brand. It was not possible to look at the economy and growth without taking social progress into account. He, deep down, always defended theses that were the opposite of the neoliberal theses that came to prevail in Europe out of perversion and that today dominate it and lead to many citizens being in disbelief in relation to the European project. That was never Jacques Delors’ vision. and, without a doubt, what is positive about us, which connects citizens to Europe and makes it a project of democracy and peace, has everything to do with the great architect he was”.
“The perspective of the collective and social progress were decisive in Jacques Delors’ vision. And this is what has been called into question by neoliberal theses that neglect the aspects of democratic and humanist values that we see, for example, in the policies and incapacities in terms of regulating immigration and in the attitude towards refugees”.
“Jacques Delors’ period at the head of the European Union was marked by this social-democratic and socialist vision of Europe that never loses sight of social justice alongside economic development. I had the privilege of meeting him a few times as part of the European Socialist Party’s initiatives. I always found it extraordinary how open he was to listening to new political actors, young people and different perspectives. The ideology of Jacques Delors is greatly missed”.
Listen to statements from Ana Gomes:
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