Jacques Delors, Architect Of EU, Dies At 98

Former European Commission President Jacques Delors - described as the architect of the modern EU - has died aged 98, his daughter said, BBC News reported.

Serving from 1985 to 1995, Delors also laid the groundwork for the single European currency, the euro. I Photo: European Parliament

He helped create the single market allowing the free movement of people, goods, and services within the bloc.

Serving from 1985 to 1995, Delors also laid the groundwork for the single European currency, the euro. But for those skeptical of integration, especially in the UK, he was seen as a symbol of Brussels meddling.

A headline by the British tabloid The Sun once famously shouted: "Up Yours, Delors."

Delors' daughter Martine Aubry said he had died in his sleep on Wednesday morning in his Paris home. French President Emmanuel Macron praised Delors, who also served as French finance minister from 1981-1984, as a "statesman with a French destiny" and "inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe."

He served three terms as European Commission president, longer than anyone else.

Ursula von der Leyen, who currently holds the post, said he was "a visionary who made our Europe stronger." A French Socialist, Delors was a firm believer in post-war integration.

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