French politician Jacques Delors passed away yesterday, Wednesday, at the age of 98, after becoming famous for his major achievements on behalf of Europe when he assumed the presidency of the European Union Commission.
The left-wing politician, for the most part, went against the grain of French political life and will remain above all the man of European construction that he was sincerely keen on.
Delors' career ended when he left the presidency of the European Commission in January 1995.
A month before that, Delors, who is considered the godfather of the European single market and the European currency (the euro), had disappointed the left by refusing to run in the French presidential elections, despite positive numbers in opinion polls, because he was convinced that he would not obtain a majority to implement the reforms that he wanted. He considers it necessary.
He emphasized in his memoirs, “I never organized my life according to a career path that I wanted to achieve.”
This trade unionist, a deep believer in Catholic social principles, was entrusted by the socialist François Mitterrand, who was elected President of the French Republic in 1981, to the position of Minister of the Economy, where he remained until 1984. During these years, he imposed a radical shift in domestic economic policy, and successfully defended the survival of Paris in the regime. The European Monetary Fund, which paved the way for the adoption of the euro as a unified European currency.
Delors, in his charge at the head of public finance, succeeded in reforming state accounts and preventing France from sinking into inflation, thanks to an unprecedented austerity plan.
In 1984, he put his name forward to head the government and stipulated that he retain his powers as Minister of Economy. But Mitterrand refused this and preferred another character.
– Withdrawal from the presidency
In 1985, Delors, who was known for his addiction to work and was a member of the European Parliament between 1979 and 1981, was appointed President of the European Commission with the approval of Mitterrand and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
In his new position, he was considered a savior.
Through his work and vision for the continent, which he considered a “union of nation-states,” he gained a status parallel to the founding fathers of post-World War II Europe.
In 2015, he was awarded the title of “Honorary Citizen of Europe”, an honor that only Helmut Kohl and Jean Monnet, one of Europe's founding fathers, have held.
During his presidency of the Commission and at the urging of the Mitterrand-Cole duo, the man, who was a reassuring factor for the markets, launched the Economic and Monetary Union project that would lead to a single currency.
Passionate about education issues, he designed the Erasmus program for students.
Thanks to his tough personality and skill, Delors gained the respect of all leaders, including the British Margaret Thatcher and John Major, despite his differences with them, because in their eyes he embodied the “bureaucracy” of Brussels, which transcended the national sovereignty of the member states.
Did Delors ever think about succeeding Mitterrand as president of the French Republic?
In the fall of 1994, opinion polls suggested that he would win the presidential elections scheduled for the following spring. But his sudden abandonment of running in the race, live on television in front of about 13 million viewers, turned the page on his political leadership responsibilities fifty years after they began.
-Humble background
Delors was born in the French capital, Paris, on July 20, 1925, to a humble family. His father, who was severely disabled in World War I (1914-1918), was an employee at the French Central Bank.
After the liberation of Paris from the Nazis at the end of World War II, Delors, a lover of jazz and cinema, dreamed of journalism and the seventh art. But obedience to his father pushed him towards the Bank of France, which he joined with a university degree in economics.
Quickly, he joined the French Union of Christian Workers, and participated in desectarianizing this union, which paved the way for the establishment of the “French Democratic Confederation of Labour.”
He waited until 1974 to join the Socialist Party, at the age of forty-nine, in the hope of being “useful,” after two years as an advisor to Gaullist Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas.
– Support for his daughter
Since the mid-1990s, Delors has continued to fight his battles as an activist.
In the think tanks he founded, he called to the end for stronger European federalism and for greater “boldness” in the face of Brexit and attacks from “populists of all kinds.”
The extremely humble man knew how to protect his private life, which was shaken in 1982 by the death of his son Jean-Paul.
He gave his full support to his daughter Martine Aubry (former minister and current mayor of Lille) during the Socialist Party primaries before the 2012 presidential election.
He said about her, “She has something more than me… Her generosity knows no bounds.”
– Reviews
EU leaders and officials praised Delors as a “builder” of Europe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on the “X” platform that he was “a visionary who made Europe stronger” and “his work (…) created entire generations of Europeans.” “His life’s achievement is a united, dynamic and prosperous European Union,” she added, calling for “honoring his legacy by constantly renewing Europe.”
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken praised Delors, who was a “visionary,” considering that he “changed Europe by tirelessly serving the idea of a united and free Europe.”
European Council President Charles Michel described him as “a great Frenchman and a great European,” considering that he “entered history as one of the builders of Europe.”
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