Speech by President von der Leyen in memoriam of Jacques Delors

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Your Majesties,

Prime Minister, dear Alexander,

President of the European Council,

President of the Senate,

Dear colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Tonight, we celebrate the beginning of a new year and the beginning of the Belgian Presidency. But as we celebrate Europe together tonight, I want to pay tribute to a great European to whom we bid farewell this morning: the late Commission President Jacques Delors. It was right here, in the Palais des Beaux-Arts, that he decided to give his legacy speech, at the very end of his Presidency of the European Commission. It was 30 years ago. A dark winter night, just like tonight, in the presence of the future King Philippe. And the Bozar tributed him with a never-ending standing ovation. He loved Brussels, and Brussels loved him back.

We all owe so much to Jacques Delors. He turned an economic community into a Union of people and nations. There is a quote by Delors that has accompanied me since the very first day of my mandate. Il a dit : « C’est le moment de donner une âme à l’Europe. » He said it at the beginning of the 1990s. The fall of the Iron Curtain had created great geopolitical turmoil, but also great hopes that all of Europe could finally unite in peace and democracy. Jacques Delors was the first to understand that – ‘we should not only enlarge the Community. We should unify Europe.’ And for this, Europe had to rediscover its soul. We had to go back to our roots, to the founding values of our Union, so that we could craft a way forward.

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Many have and will in the next weeks and days speak of Delors remarkable, very often historic achievements. They will no doubt praise – and rightly so – the countless landmark policies he fathered. From the euro to the Single Market; from Schengen to Erasmus. They will no doubt applaud – and rightly so – his decisive leadership in making our Union ever fairer, stronger and more integrated. They will no doubt celebrate – and rightly so – the founding architect of the modern European Union. And I will join them – as much and as many times as I can – in both honouring his extraordinary legacy and expressing our deepest gratitude.

But tonight, I also want to look ahead. Tonight, I want not only to speak about all that Jacques Delors has done for us but on how we can take inspiration from him. Jacques Delors presided the Commission in a period marked by tremendous geopolitical challenges: a horrific war on our continent, a structural reshuffle of the international world order and the profound European aspirations of millions at our borders. As we face today many of the same challenges, let us take inspiration from what he believed in. Jacques Delors believed in peace. He knew that an occupation could never result in a just and lasting peace. He had inherited from his father – a gravely and permanently wounded WWI veteran – the unshakable conviction that mutual respect and constructive dialogue must prevail between nations. Jacques Delors believed in solidarity. He understood – before anyone else – the absolute necessity of enlarging our Union to the East in the immediate aftermath of the fall of the Berlin wall. He understood – before anyone else – the absolute necessity of ensuring cohesion, equity and just wealth distribution among European peoples. And Jacques Delors believed in Europe. He trusted our democratic values and traditions. He trusted our way of life, our attachment to fairness and our commitment to freedom to be a unique source of positive influence in the world. And he trusted that we are never as powerful as when we act all together as Europeans, united behind a common purpose.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The challenges that Delors faced were unique and yet not so distant from those we face today. In this Belgian Presidency, we will also have to focus on restoring our economic competitiveness, reforming our Union and unifying our continent. So once again, we should take inspiration from Jacques Delors. Whatever the difficulties we face, however severe they might appear, we should always remember his advice to future generations: « La Grande Europe a son avenir devant elle. N’ayez pas peur, nous y arriverons. »

Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the start of this Belgian Presidency, let us all be inspired by his energy and his faith in Europe. And let me wish you all a great evening here at Bozar.

Thank you and long live Europe.