Brussels, 18/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - The headquarters of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and of the Committee of the Regions (CoR) was officially baptised the "Jacques Delors Building" on 18 September (see EUROPE 9263). The ceremony took place in the presence of the former Commission President, Jacques Delors, and of the Presidents of both Committees, Anne-Marie Sigmund (EESC) and Michel Delebarre (CoR), after the opening session of the EESC Biennial Conference 2006 on the subject "Living Europe: a Challenge for European Society", during which Jacques Delors took the floor (see EUROPE 9258). In his speech to the ceremony giving his name to the "Belliard" building, Jacques Delors asked: "should this honour not have been reserved for other militants in Europe building? Was it right to grant it to somebody who is still alive (...)? Happily, I'm not superstitious, but even so, I will be more vigilant about my state of health in the next few months". Taking on a more serious tone, he said: the plaque that you are inaugurating could have been called "Here is the home of participative democracy, in the name of the proximity, expertise and influence of the citizen: the soul and the flesh of European integration", because tribute "must be paid to those who work behind the scenes, tirelessly going back and improving this work".