Jacques Delors died at the end of December at the age of 98. This Friday, January 5, 2024, a national tribute, chaired by Emmanuel Macron, is paid to him.
Emmanuel Macron will chair this Friday, January 5 at the Invalides, a national tribute ceremony to Jacques Delors, who died on December 27 at the age of 98. The opportunity for the Head of State to salute the memory of the former President of the European Commission, father of the common market, the euro and Erasmus and former Minister of the Economy of François Mitterrand.
According to his entourage, questioned by West France, the president will celebrate the role played by Jacques Delors in French politics, The head of state should insist on the fact that “France would not have remained a sovereign power in Europe as we know it today “. In pronouncing his wishes to the French on the evening of December 31, the Head of State had already invoked his “heritage” to call for the “decisive choice” of a “stronger, more sovereign Europe” to be made in 2024. In view of the European elections in June, Emmanuel Macron’s speech should be oriented towards the EU.
Especially since the tribute to Jacques Delors will be pronounced in the presence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the leaders of the nationalist camp in Europe. France has also invited all the heads of state and government of the European Union. As well as the leaders of community institutions, current or in office while the social democrat Jacques Delors sat in Brussels from 1985 to 1995.
The “compromise” method
There will also be a question of the “Delors method”, which the President of the Republic would like to apply in the face of the absence of an absolute majority in the National Assembly which complicates his mandate. “Jacques Delors has always advocated compromise, sought to establish bridges between political sides that could converge with good will, always sought to confront fruitful oppositions,” explained one of the president’s advisors to TF1 Info. “It is this important aspect of Jacques Delors’ personality that the president will be called upon to highlight,” he added.