12 Inspiring Quotes by Jacques Delors, the architect of the united Europe we know today
The transformation of our European community into a formidable Union wouldn’t have been possible without the tireless efforts and strong will of Jacques Delors, who served as the President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995.
Jacques Delors’ enduring legacy continues to resonate within the EU as we know it today. Under his visionary leadership, significant advancements were achieved in the EU integration process, including the establishment of the Single Market and the Schengen area, the expansion of our Union from 10 to 15 members, the launch of the Erasmus student exchange programme, the creation of a common currency, and the introduction of EU citizenship.
In homage to this vast legacy, we have curated some of Jacques Delors’ most inspiring quotes, capturing his enduring wisdom and foresight, ensuring his legacy remains an everlasting source of inspiration for generations to come.
- “It is for us to put some flesh on the Community’s bones and, dare I suggest, give it a little more soul.”
“Il nous incombe de donner plus de chair a cette communauté et, pourquoi pas, un supplément d’âme”
Address given to the European Parliament, 17 January 1989. Full speech here.
2. “A Europe built on competition that stimulates, cooperation that strengthens, and solidarity that unites.”
“Pour que l’Union européenne fonctionne, la compétition qui stimule, la solidarité qui unit, la coopération qui renforce.”
Address to the European Parliament, 19 January 1995. Full speech here.
3. “Let us be powerful enough to command respect and to promote our values of freedom and solidarity.”
“Soyons assez puissants pour nous faire respecter et pour promouvoir nos valeurs de liberté et de solidarité.”
Address to the 40th academic year of the College of Europe in Bruges, 17 October 1989. Full speech here.
4. “Alongside the common policies, our basic aim will continue to be the completion of a borderless single market. This is crucial to our prosperity and our role in the world.”
“Avec les politiques communes, le coeur de notrė action, ce dont dépendront notre prospérité et notre rôle dans le monde, continuera d’être la réalisation d’un grand marché sans frontières intérieures.”
Address to the European Parliament, 23 January 1991. Full speech here.
5. “How can we ever build Europe if young people do not see it as a collective project and a vision of their own future?”
“Comment fera-t-on l’Europe si les jeunes ne voient pas en elle un projet collectif et une représentation de leur propre avenir?”
Address to the European Parliament, 17 January 1989. Full speech here.
6. “How encouraging it is to see, as I have, the enthusiasm of students, teachers and businessmen who, as a result of the exchange schemes, have become active campaigners for a fifth freedom, perhaps the most important freedom of all, the freedom to exchange ideas and experience.”
“Pour l’avenir, quel réconfort que de constater, comme j’ai pu le faire, à maintes reprises, l’enthousiasme des étudiants, des professeurs et des entrepreneurs grâce à la multiplication des échanges, ils sont devenus des militants de cette cinquième liberté, peut-être la plus importante, celle de la libre circulation des idées.”
Address to the European Parliament, 17 January 1989. Full speech here.
7. “Europe’s diversity makes it prodigiously rich. This diversity must be preserved, so that it can bear fruit for the common good.”
“L’Europe est formidablement riche de ses diversités. Il convient de les préserver, mieux de les faire fructifier pour le bien commun.”
Address to the European Parliament, 17 January 1989. Full speech here.
8. “We must guarantee free movement to provide our people with tangible proof of a new citizenship…What we are looking to, in fact, is a Community demonstrating increased solidarity, a community committed to closer economic and social cohesion, which we see as one of the pillars of the structure.”
“Il faut assurer la libre circulation des personnes, preuve nécessaire et tangible d’une nouvelle citoyenneté…C’est en effet une Communauté plus solidaire qui doit se développer avec l’engagement de renforcer la cohésion économique et sociale, un des piliers de l’édifice communautaire.”
Address given by Jacques Delors to the European Parliament, 12 February 1992. Full speech here.
9. “In Europe, you need the firefighter but also the architect.”
“En Europe, il faut le pompier mais aussi l’architecte.
Interview to La Croix by Jacques Delors, 12 October 2012. Interview text here.
10. “Three common ambitions: to become an area of active peace, to maintain a framework for sustainable development and to celebrate in a particular way our cultural diversity.”
“Trois ambitions communes: un espace de paix active, un cadre pour le développement durable et une manière particulière de gérer-valoriser notre diversité culturelle.
La Grande Europe, Institut Jacques Delors, January 2003. Text available here.
11. “Our aim is to ensure that before the next European elections, the man in the street can enjoy the daily experience of a tangible Europe.
“Nous voulons faire en sorte qu’à la prochaine élection, les citoyens européens puissent toucher du doigt l’Europe du quotidien.”
Address to the European Parliament, 14 January 1985. Full speech here.
12. “Come on, be brave, the European Spring is still ahead of us!”
“Allons, courage, le Printemps de l’Europe est toujours devant nous!”
Address to the European Parliament, 19 January 1995. Full speech here.
