Former European Commission President Jacques Delors, known, as the architect of the modern EU, has died at the age of 98.
Delors helped create the single market allowing the free movement of people, goods and services within the bloc. Serving from 1985 to 1995, he also laid the groundwork for the single European currency, the euro.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Delors, who also served as French finance minister from 1981-84, as a „statesman with a French destiny” and „inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe”.
„His commitment, his ideals and his righteousness will always inspire us,” he said. „I salute his work and his memory and share the pain of his loved ones.”
Ursula von der Leyen, who currently holds the post, said he was „a visionary who made our Europe stronger”.
European Council President Charles Michel described him as a „great Frenchman and a great European” who had „entered history as one of the builders of our Europe”.
A French Socialist, he was a firm believer in post-war integration. He served three terms as European Commission president, longer than anyone else, the BBC reminds.
As well as the single market and the euro, his tenure at the top of the EU saw the creation of the Schengen agreement for travel and the Erasmus program for student exchanges.
When leaving his post in 1995, Delors declined to stand for the French presidency, despite a huge lead in the polls.
