Brussels, 12/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - As already reported (see EUROPE No. 9258), the building that houses the Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and the Committee of the Regions (CoR) will be renamed the 'Jacques Delors Building' on 18 September at a ceremony attended by the former President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors, himself and the President of the EESC, Anne-Marie Sigmund, and the President of the CoR, Michel Delebarre.
Following the first fathers of Europe, men like Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaak, Konrad Adenauer and Alcide de Gasperi, Jacques Delors is one of the second generation of fathers of Europe, explains a press release. Former MEP (he was President of the EP's Economic and Monetary Union Committee), then economics and finance minister under François Mitterand, Jacques Delors's constant commitment to the European project, particularly as President of the European Commission for ten years (1985-1995) makes him an exemplary European activist, adds the press release, pointing out that Jacques Delors was the driving force behind several big European initiatives like the Single Market, the Delors 1 and Delors 2 packages, relaunching European social dialogue and the Single Act. Under his chairmanship, the Commission pro-actively prepared the Maastricht Treaty that established the Committee of the Regions, and th en EMU. In 1993, the Commission published a White Paper which is still a reference today when it comes to growth, competitiveness and employment, adds the press release. Jacques Delors is the founder and president of the 'Our Europe' association and currently chairs the Conseil de l'Emploi, des revenus et de la Cohésion sociale (CERC) in France.