
[BREAKING] 2 Losses for EU less 3 hours. Jacques Lucien Jean Delors died, following Wolfgang Schäuble
Paris 8.54pm
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors’ death was announced hours after that of long-serving German Wolfgang Schäuble. Both are 2 pillars of European Union for decades. Also just 20 hours after French Foreign Ministry warned ‘serious alarm’ to Israel about genocidal in Gaza Palestine.
Delors, former European Commission president, dies aged 98. An ardent advocate of post-war integration, he served as president of the body for three terms - longer than any other holder of the office - from January 1985 until the end of 1994, former head of the European Commission and key figure in the creation of the euro, has died aged 98.
2 Greats European. Delors and Schäuble. A visionary. A politician who has shaped this continent. But his commitment to a united Europe and the struggle for a stronger union live on.
Europe owes him, and is the poorer place without him. He gave the Union true leadership over many years. Ever since Jacques Delors set up Erasmus in 1987, more than 14 million young Europeans have studied in each others' countries, opening windows and doors all over our wonderful continent. Architect of the modern EU whose dreams of an ever-closer Europe faced stiff UK opposition.
He will go down into history as one of the most impactful EU Commission Presidents. Not only he established the single market - the first in the world - but also fathered the €. Unlike most of his successors, he wasn’t a former PM, but ‘just’ a finance minister and former MEP. Those experiences gave him a vision for the EU - which wasn’t fully embraced by the Member States which historically showed suspicion towards his unique autonomy of action. Delors was the ‘Community method’ at its best.
Plestia Bosbos Alaqad
Bisan Owda
Wael Dahdouh
Motaz Azaiza