France bids farewell to ex-EU chief Delors

French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (5 January) praised former finance minister and European Union leader Jacques Delors at a state funeral, saying he had "reconciled Europe with its future".

The statesman, who died aged 98 on 27 December, was Brussels' driving force during the EU's greatest period of integration, the creation of the single market and the euro.

"Jacques Delors never tired of... finding alternatives, of building bridges," Macron said at a ceremony in Paris, near the stateman's coffin draped in the French flag.

"Delors contributed to drawing the face of Europe as it is today," he said at the funeral, which unusually featured the EU anthem "Ode to Joy".

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament speaker Roberta Metsola were among European officials who attended.

Also present were national leaders from around Europe, including Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, as well as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

Delors was president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, stepping down after disappointing his French supporters by declining to stand for office as president of his homeland.

But he had already played a transformative role as the European Community, which became the European Union during his term, took on a central role in the continent's affairs.

He was also finance minister under late French president Francois Mitterand.

In 1984, Mitterrand wanted to make Delors prime minister, but he offended the president by asking to keep his finance portfolio alongside the top job, and he was sidelined.

As president of the European Commission, Delors laid the foundation of what would become Europe's monetary union.

His passion for education prompted Delors to found the Erasmus programme of university exchanges, which has supported around 14 million students through different schemes.

Around 100 Erasmus students were invited to the ceremony.