Jacques Delors

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

East France
Personal details
Born
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors

(1925-07-20)20 July 1925
Paris, France
Died27 December 2023(2023-12-27) (aged 98)
Paris, France
Political partySocialist
Spouse
Marie Lephaille
(m. 1948; died 2020)
Children2, including Martine
Alma materUniversity of Paris

Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (French pronunciation: [ʒak lysjɛ̃ ʒɑ̃ dəlɔʁ]; 20 July 1925 – 27 December 2023) was a French politician who served as the eighth president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. Delors played a key role in the creation of the single market, the euro and the modern European Union.

As president of the

monetary union to create the euro, a new single currency to replace individual national currencies. This was achieved by the signing of the Maastricht Treaty
in 1992.

Delors was a member of the

French Socialist Party. Before becoming president of the EC, he was France's finance minister from 1981 to 1984, and a member of the European Parliament
from 1979 to 1981.

French politics

Born in Paris in a family originating from

Gaullist Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a move which was presented as part of Chaban's outreach to the centre-ground and first attracted media attention to Delors personally.[1]

In 1957, Delors left the CFDT when he became a high government official to avoid conflicts of interests. In 1974, he joined the

laïcité.[2] He served in the European Parliament from 1979 to 1981, becoming chairman of its Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, actively taking part in debates about economic, social, and monetary policies.[1] Under President François Mitterrand, Delors served as Economics and Finance Minister from 1981 to 1983, and Economics, Finance, and Budget Minister from 1983 to 1984.[1] He advocated a pause in the social policies, a clear acceptance of the market economy, and an alignment with European social democracy. Critically, he held the line on France's membership of the European Monetary System (EMS), giving priority to monetary stability over left-wing spending priorities. Mitterrand flirted with the idea of naming him Prime Minister, but never made the appointment.[3]

President of the European Commission

Press conference (from left to right) with Danish minister of finance, Henning Christophersen, Dutch ministers Wim Kok, Hans van den Broek and Ruud Lubbers, after the European Council in Maastricht, 1991, which led to the 1992 Maastricht Treaty

Delors became the

European Community. It came into effect on 1 January 1993 and allowed the free movement of persons, capital, goods, and services within the Community.[4][5]

Delors also headed the Committee for the Study of Economic and Monetary Union, widely known as the Delors Committee, that in early 1989 proposed the creation of a new currency—the euro—to replace individual national currencies. This was achieved in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty.[6]

In opposition to the strident

redistribution of wealth and protection of the weakest. Second, a neo-mercantilist approach was designed to maximize European industrial output. And the third was reliance on the marketplace. His emphasis on the social dimension of Europe was and remains central to a strong narrative that became a key element of the self-identification of the European Union.[8]

The Delors presidency is considered to have been the apex of the European Commission's influence on European integration.[3]

Post-presidency

Delors had a longstanding interest in education. As the initiator of a French law in 1971 (la formation professionnelle continue, FPC) requiring firms to set aside part of their profits for educational opportunities for their employees, he also chaired a

European Lifelong Learning Indicators (ELLI) project.[10][11]

In 1994, members of the Socialist Party attempted to persuade Delors to run for president. Polls showed that he would have a very good chance of defeating either of the main conservative contenders, Prime Minister Édouard Balladur and Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac.[12] However Delors declined to run and the eventual Socialist nominee, Lionel Jospin, was defeated in the 1995 presidential election by Jacques Chirac.[13][14]

Delors founded the Paris-based, centre-left

Notre Europe in 1996 and remained one of its presidents for the rest of his life.[15][16] He was president of the Conseil de l'emploi, des revenus et de la cohésion sociale, and an honorary member of both the Institut Aspen France and the Club of Rome.[13]

On 15 September 2010, Delors supported the new initiative

federalization of the European Union. Other prominent supporters include Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Guy Verhofstadt, Sylvie Goulard, Andrew Duff, and Elmar Brok.[17] In 2010, Delors was the first to be given the Leonardo European Corporate Learning Award.[18]

In 2012, Delors stated in the Handelsblatt newspaper that "If the British cannot support the trend towards more integration in Europe, we can nevertheless remain friends, but on a different basis. I could imagine a form such as a European economic area or a free-trade agreement."[19]

On 25 June 2015, Donald Tusk announced that Delors would become the third person to have the title of Honorary Citizen of Europe bestowed upon them, in recognition of "his remarkable contribution to the development of the European project".[20]

In March 2024, Delores was posthumously given a "Special Recognition" award at

MEP Awards, in recognition of his contributions towards the European project, to mark the awards' 20th anniversary.[21]

Personal life and death

Delors was married to Marie Lephaille until her death in 2020.

Delors died in his sleep at his home in Paris, on 27 December 2023, aged 98.[24] He was honored with a state funeral at the Hotel des Invalides in Paris on 5 January in the presence of political figures from all over Europe[25] before his burial alongside his wife and his son at the Fontaine-la-Gaillarde cemetery.[26]

Awards

Honours

Selected works

  • Delors, Jacques; Arnaud, Jean-Louis (2004). Mémoires. Paris: Plon. .

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "European Commission - Discover the former Presidents - Jacques Delors". Archived from the original on 4 January 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  2. ^ "Jacques Delors Facts". biography.yourdictionary.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  3. ^ a b "From community to union: Jacques Delors, champion of Europe". France 24. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  4. S2CID 151526296
    .
  5. ^ "Jacques Delors | French politician". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  6. ^ Michael J. Baun, "The Maastricht Treaty as High Politics: Germany, France, and European Integration." Political Science Quarterly 110.4 (1995): 605–624. online Archived 9 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  7. .
  8. ^ Alessandra Bitumi, "'An uplifting tale of Europe'. Jacques Delors and the contradictory quest for a European social model in the Age of Reagan." Journal of Transatlantic Studies 16.3 (2018): 203–221 online[dead link].
  9. ^ "UNESCO Task Force on Education, Publications". Archived from the original on 15 June 2006. Retrieved 17 June 2006.
  10. ^ "Towards an individual right to adult learning for all Europeans". Jacques Delors Institute. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  11. . Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  12. . Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Jacques Delors, one of Europe's greats, has died". Le Monde. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  14. from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  15. .
  16. ^ Stone & Ullrich, Diane & Heidi (2013). "Policy research institutes and think tanks in Western Europe: Development trends and perspectives" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2020. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  17. ^ "Spinelli group website, Members of the steering group". Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  18. ^ "Leonardo". leonardo-award.eu. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  19. ^ Seddon, Mark (11 August 2017). "Jacques Delors foresaw the perils of austerity. How we need his wisdom now". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  20. ^ a b "Invitation letter by President Donald Tusk to the members of the European Council – Consilium". Europa. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  21. ^ a b "MEP awards: Seven lawmakers recognised for outstanding contribution to EU policymaking". Euronews. 21 March 2024. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  22. ^ "En souvenir de Madame MARIE DELORS". libramemoria.com (in French). Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  23. from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  24. ^ "Former EU Commission president Jacques Delors dies at 98". France 24. 27 December 2023. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  25. ^ "France bids farewell to former EU chief Delors". Le Monde. 5 January 2024. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Obsèques de Jacques Delors: « Une vie tournée vers les autres »: l'homélie de Mgr Hérouard". La Croix. 6 January 2024. Archived from the original on 6 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards". Roosevelt Institute. Archived from the original on 15 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  28. ^ Index biographique des membres et associés de l'Académie royale de Belgique (1769–2005). p83
  29. ^ "Pax Christi prize for 2005". Jacques Delors Institute. 31 October 2005. Archived from the original on 28 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  30. Legifrance. 25 March 2005. Archived
    from the original on 10 April 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  31. ^ "Décret du 2 avril 1999 portant promotion et nomination". Legifrance. 2 April 1999. Archived from the original on 3 July 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  32. ^ "Verdienstorden des Landes Baden-Württemberg: Liste der Ordensträger 1975 – 2016" (PDF) (in German). Baden-Württemberg. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 October 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2023.

Further reading

  • Bitumi, Alessandra. "'An uplifting tale of Europe'. Jacques Delors and the contradictory quest for a European social model in the Age of Reagan." Journal of Transatlantic Studies 16.3 (2018): 203–221.
  • Drake, Helen. Jacques Delors: perspectives on a European leader (Psychology Press, 2000).
  • Drake, Helen. "Political leadership and European integration: the case of Jacques Delors." West European Politics 18.1 (1995): 140–160. Online
  • Endo, Ken. The presidency of the European Commission under Jacques Delors: The politics of shared leadership (Springer, 1999).
  • Ross, George, and Jane Jenson. "Reconsidering Jacques Delors' leadership of the European union." Journal of European Integration 39.2 (2017): 113–127.
  • Van Assche, Tobias. "The impact of entrepreneurial leadership on EU high politics: A case study of Jacques Delors and the creation of EMU." Leadership 1.3 (2005): 279–298.
  • Warlouzet, Laurent. Governing Europe in a Globalizing World. Neoliberalism and its Alternatives following the 1973 Oil Crisis (Routledge, 2017). Online

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Minister of Finance

1981–1984
Succeeded by
Preceded by
French European Commissioner
1985–1995
Served alongside: Claude Cheysson, Christiane Scrivener
Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the European Commission
1985–1995
Succeeded by
Academic offices
Preceded by Speaker at the College of Europe Opening Ceremony
1989
Succeeded by