I have before me Jacques Delors' "Memoirs". As you can imagine, my hands are trembling somewhat. The European memoirs of Jacques Delors! Not just an eyewitness account of his work but also his ideas about current events in the EU and a detailed account of events that shaped Europe and in which he was a key player, like the Single Act (little known and badly understood because of its unsuitable name but Delors calls it his favourite Treaty), the establishment of Economic and Monetary Union, the 1993 White Paper, etc And cooperation with the giants of the European project (following the pioneering days), Helmut Kohl being the most notable. Preparing and leading Summits, diplomatic and parliamentary battles, the European Commission's work, all is related in detail, no holds bars, noting the views of the participants and including the right amount of anecdotes and background information. It is simply written without rhetoric or purple prose - moral tension comes from the situations and facts themselves. Personal details come in a short eight-page preface, commenting on the December 1994 decision not to stand for the presidential elections in France despite the polls putting him in top position.

I will not comment any more about the content of the book. One cannot resume ones emotions. But we print below a few pages where Jacques Delors makes a stand on issues that are still highly present in European current affairs. (F.R.)