"J'ai la passion de la réforme pour le progrès de l'homme et de la société. Je choisis toujours en fonction de cet idéal, mais aussi en mesurant ma propre utilité. Je ne supporte pas le sentiment d'être inutile !"
Jacques Delors, L'Unité d'un homme, Entretiens avec Dominique Wolton, 1994
Next academic year, which also marks the College’s 75th anniversary, the College of Europe will celebrate Jacques Delors, one of the great ‘bâtisseurs de l’Europe’ and former President of the European Commission.
Jacques Delors' figure as a true European politician and architect of the European Single Market will provide symbolic guidance as one of the last great builders of Europe. His three terms as president of the European Commission have left us with an immense legacy that is at the core of the learning for the students at the College of Europe.
The legacy of Jacques Delors' leadership is nothing short of the last big bang of European integration: the Maastricht Treaty, Erasmus, cohesion policy, European citizenship, the expansion of EU membership, crucial steps towards the European Economic and Monetary Union and the Euro are only a fragment of the policies and achievements that are still with us today.
His symbolic guidance for the students of the College of Europe extends beyond his political achievements. Jacques Delors thought and acted with a European mind throughout his European political career. His capacity to forge solutions and compromises that were European by nature should inspire the entire community of the College of Europe.
His activism for more European integration continued after his political career. He founded and presided the think tank Notre Europe in 1996. and supported the creation of the Spinelli Group, a federalist group of decision-makers, in 2010.
In 2015, Jacques Delors became the third European citizen to be awarded the Honorary Citizen of Europe award after Jean Monnet and Helmut Kohl.
Jacques Delors and the College of Europe
Following his third term as President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors was appointed President of the administrative council of the College of Europe. He held the position from 1995 to 2000. Thanks to his vision and leadership as President of the European Commission, the Natolin campus was inaugurated in 1992.
Federica Mogherini, Rector of the College of Europe
""L'Europe a besoin d'une âme", Jacques Delors disait. La communauté du Collège est un lieu d’accueil, d’échange, d’épanouissement et d’action pour tous ceux qui aspirent à batir cette âme. Je suis convaincue que la figure de Jacques Delors renforcera encore l’enthousiasme de nos futurs étudiants et leur désir de contribuer de par leur talent et leurs idées à la construction de l’Europe du futur.
I am also convinced that his unwavering dedication to the European project will encourage us to organize events, conferences, and debates to not only celebrate and discuss his achievements but also to reflect on the future of Europe at a pivotal moment in our common history."