Jacques Delors
| Jacques Delors | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| President of the European Commission | |
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In office 7 January 1985 – 24 January 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Gaston Thorn |
| Succeeded by | Jacques Santer |
| Minister of Finance | |
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In office 22 May 1981 – 17 July 1984 |
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| Prime Minister | Pierre Mauroy |
| Preceded by | René Monory |
| Succeeded by | Pierre Bérégovoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
20 July 1925 Paris, France |
| Political party | Party of European Socialists |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Jacques Lucien Jean Delors (born 20 July 1925) is a French economist and politician, previously the eighth President of the European Commission and the first person to serve three terms in that office (between January 1985 and January 1995). He is the father of Martine Aubry, the former first secretary (leader) of the Socialist Party of France.
Born in Paris in a family originating from Corrèze, Delors first held in the 1940s through the 1960s a series of posts in French banking and state planning with the Banque de France. As a member of the French Confederation of Christian Workers, he participated in its secularization and the foundation of the French Democratic Confederation of Labour. In 1969, he became social affairs adviser to the Gaullist Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a move which was presented as part of Chaban's outreach to the centre-ground and first attracted media attention to Delors personally.
In 1974 Delors joined the French Socialist Party, with other left-wing Christians. He was one of the rare members of the party to be openly religious, thus challenging its long-standing secular tradition of Laïcité. He served in the European Parliament from 1979 to 1981, becoming chairman of its Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. Under President François Mitterrand, Delors served as Economics and Finance Minister from 1981 to 1983, and Economics, Finance, and Budget Minister from 1983 to 1984. He advocated a pause in the social policies, a clear acceptance of the market economy, and an alignment with European social democracy. Critically, he held the line on France's membership of the European Monetary System (EMS), giving priority to monetary stability over left-wing spending priorities. Mitterrand flirted with the idea of naming him Prime Minister, but never made the appointment.
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