Former EU Commission President Jacques Delors, architect of euro project, dies at 98 

Jacques Delors, a key architect of the European Union’s historic single currency project, died at 98 on Wednesday.  

Martine Aubry, his daughter, confirmed that Delors died in his sleep at his home in Paris. 

Delors, known for his unwavering support for European integration, served as the President of the European Commission for three terms, from January 1985 to the end of 1994. 

His dynamic leadership during this decade saw the completion of the integrated single market, the agreement to introduce the euro, and the establishment of a common foreign and security policy.  

During Delors’s influential term leading the EU executive, the union grew and the groundwork was laid for the eventual admittance of the former communist republics of central and eastern Europe following the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989.  

A staunch federalist, Delors championed the concept of an “ever closer union”, leading to occasional clashes with then-UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who vigorously resisted any transfer of power to Brussels.  

Delors’ vision for monetary union drew attention, with The Sun tabloid in Britain famously running a front-page headline in 1990 reading ‘Up Yours Delors’. 

French President Emmanuel Macron hailed him as the “inexhaustible architect of our Europe” and a champion for human justice.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator during Brexit, described Delors as an inspiration and a symbol of a certain idea of politics, France, and Europe. 

Delors’ influence extended beyond national borders, shaping the trajectory of European politics and fostering collaboration among member states.  

In an interview marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome in 2007, Delors expressed concerns about the EU unravelling unless institutional reforms were implemented.  

Delors had foreseen the challenges facing the EU, warning of potential unravelling without reforms. Despite subsequent geopolitical shifts and the departure of member states, including Britain, Delors’ legacy endures, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledging him as a ‘visionary who made Europe stronger’. 

(With inputs from Reuters) 

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