Jacques Delors dead: Former EU chief and Remainer dies aged 98
Former EU Commission president Jacques Delors has died aged 98.
Former EU Commission president Jacques Delors has died aged 98. His daughter Martine Aubry confirmed the staunch Remainer died in his sleep at his home in Paris on Wednesday, December 27.
French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to Delors, stating: "Statesman of French destiny. Inexhaustible craftsman of our Europe. Fighter for human justice. Jacques Delors was all of that.
"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."
Delors died in his sleep at home in Paris on Wednesday, according to Agence France Presse citing his daughter Martine Aubry.
He served three terms as European Commission president, longer than anyone else.
A French Socialist, he was a firm believer in post-war integration.
As well as the single market and the euro, his tenure saw the creation of the Schengen agreement for travel and the Erasmus programme for student exchanges.