In Focus
By Padmashree Anandhan

Jacques Delors: Former European Commission President who transformed the EU
On 27 December, former President of the European Commission Jacques Delors was declared dead. He was considered a revolutionary behind establishing of the EU single market and laying base for economic integration and adoption of the Euro. His was considered the driver to the EU unity due to three reasons as follows.
 
Contribution to the European Parliament through economic and currency measures
Delors began his career at the Banque de France in 1945 before becoming the advisor to Chaban-Delmas cabinet in 1969. The start point into the European Parliament was as an elected member between 1979 to 1981 and later positioned as president in the economic, finance, and budget department in the Mauroy government (1981-1984). During these years the key phrase of his economic policy were “Rigor and recovery” which were opted to combat inflation and strike monetary balance. The remarkable point of his journey in the European Parliament was when he was appointed as the President of the European Commission in 1985. Under his leadership Europe transformed with special Schengen arrangements, integration of east Germans into Spain and Portugal after the fall of iron curtain. He stood strongly for the Europe’s unification, instituting free movement of goods and people, transitioning “common agricultural policy,” and most importantly fighting the resistance towards adopting of Euro. This can be evidenced from the White Paper that was turned into Single European Act which established the Europe as a single market, was signed in February 1986. Following the same, Europe’s single currency Euro was adopted considering the “economic and monetary aspect” of the Treaty of Maastricht (1992).  
 
Maneuvered Europe into a stronger united bloc in the world order
Delors’s twofold idea of making Europe economically and monetarily iron strong through the single market and Euro led to the economic integration thereby resulting in expansion of the EU from 10 member to 15 member states with western European democracies. During his period as President of the Commission he said: “The European economic model has to be based on three principles: competition which stimulates, co-operation which strengthens and solidarity which unites.” Although the idea of “barrier-free internal market” was present in the Treaty of Rome 1957, European single market became the serving point for then slow economy of Europe.
 
Struggle towards inducing common currency Euro
The first timeline to adopt Euro was given in the “Delors report” in 1989. It came under heavy criticism from the British government stating it as ambitious. Former British Prime Minister Margret Thatcher along with central bank presidents agreed to the aspect of the economic integration of the Europe but denied to approve or allow the transfer of sovereignty. This argument came under debate as the report mandated transfer of decision making to central authority to ensure success of monetary union. The Delors committee predicted such transfer would help in deciding over budget deficit and lead to integrated market. Another challenge to implementing the common currency was Germany’s “Bundesbank’s monetary hegemony.” In Delors pursuit to bring Germany into the single currency, hunted down after the dissolution of the USSR, which led to currency crisis, collapse of exchange rate and recession in 1993 which delayed the adoption of the Euro. Through a European political union project, a compensation mechanism was adopted to settle the loss of Deutsche Mark and by January 1999 Euro was adopted across 12 EU countries.
 
References
Paul L Montgomery, “British Voice Opposition To Monetary Union Plan,” The New York Times, 18 April 1989
Stuart Lau, “Jacques Delors, architect of a united Europe, is dead at 98,” Politico, 27 December 2023
Lionel Barber and Tony Barber, “Jacques Delors, European statesman, 1925-2023,” Financial Times, 28 December 2023
“Décès de de Jacques Delors.,” Elysee.fr, 27 December 2023
Paul Lewis, “Jacques Delors, Passionate Architect of European Unity, Dies at 98,” The New York Times, 27 December 2023