THE former EU Commission president Jacques Delors has died at the age of 98.
Delors was the eighth president of the European Commission from January 1985 until the end of 1994.
AFPJacques Delors has died, his daughter has confirmed[/caption]
AFPDelors with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in 1989[/caption]
AFPDelors, then the new President of the Commission of the European Communities, speaks for the first time, on January 14, 1985 to the European Parliament[/caption]
His daughter Martine Aubry said he died in his sleep in his Paris home on Wednesday.
He created the single market that made the free movement of persons, capital, goods, and services within the European Economic Community (EEC) possible.
He also headed the so-called Delors Committee which proposed the monetary union to create the Euro, a new single currency to replace individual national currencies.
He was desperate to drag Britain into the European common currency, leading to fiery run-ins with MPs and journalists.
Clashes with British MPs continued as Delors vehemently opposed Brexit.
But he was respected as a passionate and hardworking politician
Last night French President Emmanuel Macron paid homage to a “fighter for human justice”.
He said: “His commitment, his ideals and his righteousness will always inspire us.
“I salute his work and his memory and share the pain of his loved ones.”
His notoriety in the UK was cemented when The Sun took aim with one of its classic front pages, sending a clear message to the Frenchman with the headline: “UP YOURS DELORS”.
In 1990, The Sun under Kelvin MacKenzie was voicing its view about the European common currency and more powers for the European Parliament being sought by then European Commission President Delors.
News Group Newspapers LtdThe Sun’s classic front page in 1990[/caption]
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