Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, have expressed their sadness at the death of the former president of the European Commission Jacques Delors and have highlighted his work and his legacy in favor of a “united, open and fair Europe.”
“Jacques Delors leaves us, a political reference who always believed in a united, open and prosperous Europe,” declared Pedro Sánchez through the social network Without him, Europe would not be what it is today. We will continue his legacy to consolidate further gains and progress in the Union,” he added.
“A sad day for Europe,” said José Manuel Albares through the same social network. “The memory of Jacques Delors will remain with us forever, his legacy is collected by every European who believes in a more united and fairer Europe,” he added.
The highest authorities of the EU have praised Jacques Delors, who died this Wednesday at the age of 98. “Europe has just lost one of its giants,” declared the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. “He shaped the destiny of the EU through the strength of his convictions and the rigor of his action. He thus enters the pantheon of the greats that Europe has produced and whose legacy we must assume,” he added.
For his part, the president of the European Council, the Belgian Charles Michel, wrote in his X account that “Jacques Delors led the transformation of the European Economic Community towards a true Union, based on humanist values and supported by a single market and a single currency, the euro.” “A great Frenchman and a great European, he went down in history as one of the builders of our Europe,” he continued.
The president of the European Commission, the German Ursula von der Leyen, pointed out in the same Social Network that “Jacques Delors was a visionary who made our Europe stronger.” “His life’s work is a united, dynamic and prosperous European Union. He has shaped entire generations of Europeans, including mine. Let us honor his legacy by constantly renewing our Europe,” she declared.
Likewise, the president of the European Parliament, the Maltese Roberta Metsola, described Delors as the “last honorary citizen of Europe, he worked tirelessly, as president of the European Commission and member of the European Parliament, for a united Europe. Generations of Europeans will continue to benefit from his legacy.”
Jacques Delors, born in Paris, July 20, 1925, member of the French Socialist Party and minister under François Mitterrand, assumed the position of president of the European Commission (EC) in January 1985 thanks to the support of the president of his country and the German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. He remained at the head of the so-called Delors Commission for three successive terms (from 1985 to 1988, from 1989 to 1992 and from 1993 to 1994). The third Delors Commission was also the first Commission of the European Union, since the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993.
Much of the community progress that has brought us to the European Union is due to Delors, such as the Schengen Treaty for the abolition of border controls and their transfer to the external borders of the EU, the Single European Act of 1987, which contributed to the creation of the European Union five years later, or the Erasmus program for the mobility of university students.
Delors was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation in 1989. In 1995 he was the first recipient of the Carlos V European Award from the European Academy of Yuste Foundation. Delors was president of the Commission precisely when Spain entered the European Communities, on January 1, 1986, during the Government of Felipe González.
