About: Jacques Delors

Avanti, von der Leyen!

Playtime is over, so Ursula von der Leyen and her Commissioners better take out the big guns and follow in the footsteps of the Delors Commission, writes Guy Verhofstadt.

‘Father’ of EU’s Erasmus programme Manuel Marín dies

Spanish socialist politician Manuel Marín, a longtime member of the European Commission seen as the 'father' of the EU's popular Erasmus student exchange scheme, has died at the age of 68.

EU planning grand ceremony to honour ‘visionary’ Kohl

The European Commission hopes to organise a grand ceremony to remember former German Chancellor and European "visionary" Helmut Kohl, a Commission spokeswoman said on Sunday (18 June).

Catalan leader insists EU will recognise independent Catalonia

President of the Catalan Generalitat Carles Puigdemont told a Paris conference that the EU would recognise an independent Catalonia, citing the example of Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia, as well as Scotland and its dissatisfaction with Brexit. EURACTIV Spain reports.

Restoring a Europe built on values for its youth

EXCLUSIVE / The Brexit vote has highlighted the need to restore the values that founded Europe in order to combat the rise of nationalism, populism and anti-European sentiment, writes Jacques Delors.

Putting people and planet first in the EU

The UK referendum result cast doubt on many of the EU’s values: pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality, and a commitment to sustainable development and poverty eradication worldwide, write Geneviève Pons and Seamus Jeffreson.

Geoffrey Harris: A European career between two UK referendums

Geoffrey Harris, an old hand in the European Parliament, started his career just after the European Communities membership referendum, and will retire days before the Brexit referendum. In a wide-ranging interview, he tells of people and events that made EU history.

Green MEP denounces Gazprom’s bullying tactics over Nord Stream 2

Claude Turmes, a leading Member of the European Parliament for the Greens party, dropped a bombshell at a Brussels event yesterday (24 February) when he made allegations about Gazprom's tactics to push the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Jean-Michel de Waele: ‘The European project needs to be re-established’

“The European model is dead,” Jean-Michel de Waele told EURACTIV in an exclusive interview. Our future model should be based on a core of six or seven countries that are capable of real political union.

Kurlemann: Like Delors, Juncker has a sense of history

Jan Kurlemann, a long-serving retired official from the European Parliament who knew Jacques Delors well, compares the former Commission president with the current holder of the office, Jean-Claude Juncker.

Hollande pays tribute to Delors, calls for euro ‘vanguard’

France favours a "stronger organisation" behind the euro led by "a vanguard of countries", President François Hollande said in an interview in which he pays respect to former Commission President Jacques Delors, who turns 90 today.

The EU and Greece: Changing frames and pursuing the Odyssey

If the Greeks and the Europeans find it in them to look towards a future which is of necessity a shared future, then they will find a way to forge a compromise, argue Jacques Delors, Pascal Lamy and António Vitorino.

EU summit to recognise Delors as one of Europe’s fathers

EU leaders meeting for a two-day summit today (25 June), dedicated to the divisive immigration issues and the Greek crisis, will bestow the title of "Honorary Citizen of Europe" on Jacques Delors, for extraordinary work to promote European cooperation.

From the European Energy Community to the Energy Union

It is essential to mobilize all citizens around the energy transition in which the world is engaged and required to adopt common measures to keep the increase of temperature below 2°C. The release of the Energy Union package by the European Commission is the first major step in the European wide debate to give life and to create public support to this challenging project, write Jacques Delors, Sami Andoura and Jean-Arnold Vinois.

The EU was made in Britain

The United Kingdom is largely responsible for the EU’s predominantly liberal ethos and present geopolitical dimensions, writes Sir Michael Leigh.

The EU needs a fresh boost… fast!

The European authorities appointed in the wake of the 2014 elections have an historic, not to say overwhelming, task ahead of them, write Jacques Delors, Pascal Lamy, and António Vitorino.

Commission work programme has yet to pass the test in court

The new European Commission’s fresh start could be under threat before it’s even managed to get off the ground thanks to an imminent legal opinion from the European Court of Justice (ECJ), writes Allie Renison.

French-German relationship struggles to live up to expectations after the fall of the Berlin Wall

25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, an event that brought France and Germany closer together, the two countries are fighting to save their relationship against the odds. EURACTIV.fr reports. 

Poland hopes Tusk will create an EU Energy Union

SPECIAL REPORT: In his capacity of Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk has spearheaded the idea of an EU energy Union, and leading Polish politicians expect him to continue to do so as Council President, when he will take up the job from Herman Van Rompuy on 1 December.

EU election aftermath: ask for the programme

The policy priorities for Europe matter just as much as who takes the EU executive's lead. Now is the time to dig in and agree on a direction for the troika, 'Greater Europe' and clarity in policy making, write Jacques Delors and António Vitorino.

EU secret revealed: Rome Treaty was signed on blank sheet

At the launch of a book on the history of the European Commission, officials revealed some of the best-kept secrets in EU history. Among them is the incredible story of the signing of the Treaty of Rome establishing the European Economic Community, on 1 January 1958.

The European Union is an opportunity and a struggle

In an op-ed for EURACTIV, Jacques Delors and António Vitorino go back over the EU's struggles of the past five years - including the euro crisis and Russia - and chart the way forward for the next Commission and Parliament.

Verhofstadt vows to follow Delors’ path as Commission President

Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE leader, and party candidate for the European Commission Presidency, presented his program Friday (25 April), which he said was inspired by vintage politician Jacques Delors, widely seen as the most visionary EU leader.

Website to fact-check EU election campaign claims

As European politicians hit the campaign trail for the May EU elections, the online project FactcheckEU documents how truthful their campaign speeches really are.