A national tribute was paid to Jacques Delors, former minister and president of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. Emanuel Macron praised the career and legacy of an “artisan of Europe”.
“Jacques Delors helped to draw the face of today’s Europe, line by line.” It is a eulogy focused on the European commitment of the former minister that Emmanuel Macron delivered during the tribute paid to Jacques Delors, this Friday, January 5, on the Place des Invalides, in Paris. The Head of State praised “a conciliator” with “visionary intuition” in front of several members of the government, but especially in front of the leaders of the European institutions, in particular the distant successor of Jacques Delors as President of the European Commission: Ursula von der Leyen.
Alongside Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Council Charles Michel, the President of the European Central Bank Christine Lagarde and the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola were present. Several heads of state and government also participated in the ceremony at Les Invalides, the presence of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was also noted. In addition to political figures, nearly a hundred students benefiting from the Erasmus program allowing studies in different European countries and bequeathed by Jacques Delors were present.
Europe was also at the heart of Emmanuel Macron’s speech, who retraced the political career of Jacques Delors and listed the achievements of the man who was President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. “He will have made progress, as few others, our continent” declared the President of the Republic in conclusion. And the latter did not miss the opportunity to implicitly place himself in the legacy of Jacques Delors both in his way of governing, which he seems to consider close to the “Delors method” consisting of “creating alternatives and building bridges”, and in his pro-European position: “Jacques Delors has passed the baton to us. His path continues.” A resolutely political message six months before the European elections.
The Marseillaise was sung by the French army choir on the Place des Invalides during the tribute to Jacques Delors. It was followed by the European anthem, the Ode to Joy, played by the Republican Guard orchestra and during which the representatives of the institutions stood solemnly in front of the remains of one of the fathers of Europe. A minute of silence was also observed before the coffin was led out of Les Invalides to two particularly beloved jazz tunes by Jacques Delors, To a wild rose and Body and Soul.
In the front row during the ceremony was Martine Aubry, the daughter of Jacques Delors and socialist mayor of Lille. In his round of greetings, Emmanuel Macron approached the elected official, but the contact between the two politicians was limited to a cold handshake, marking a clear distance. A distance due to their political careers which contrasts with the legacy of Jacques Delors carried by Martine Aubry by blood ties and the political heritage claimed by Emmanuel Macron.
