The European Union would not exist without the ideas of Jean Monnet and the determination of Robert Schuman, but it would not be as we know it today without the drive of Jacques Delors, president of the European Commission between 1985 and 1995 and great factotum of the current economic and monetary union. . Although his dream of a politically, socially and culturally united Europe is far from current reality. According to its recipe and despite its regret, Europe has also been pragmatic in this regard.
Sponsored by none other than the French president François Mitterrand, with whom he held the Economy portfolio in his first term, and by the German chancellor Helmut Kohl, Delors entered the Commission through the front door and in just a decade faced enlargement. from the European Union with the income of Portugal and Spain in 1986 and of Austria, Finland and Sweden already in 1995; the approval of the Single European Act (1986) for the economic and monetary union that would eventually bring with it the euro, and the Schengen agreements, which would mean the free exercise of workers in all the countries of the Union.
A tireless worker and impetuous speaker, Delors always moved his government action between deadlines and objectives that he tried to strictly meet, although he established pragmatism as a true measuring stick: what is good for one must be good for all. Hence the popular musketeer maxim often appeared in his speeches: all for one and one for all. He was technically impeccable, although he erred on the side of optimism in areas that member states continue to reserve for themselves, such as foreign action, taxation or social policies.
It also clashed with internal politics and, above all, globalization, its ambition to build a European cultural space, even though the Erasmus program was and continues to be one of the great successes that must be granted to it. The same cannot be said for Europe's ambitious audiovisual production programmes, as the popular culture that continues to unite EU citizens continues to come from other continents.
In his first assessment before the European Parliament at its headquarters in Stasburg, on January 17, 1989, and after the successful – and then dubious – integration of Spain into the already club of the Twelve, Delors presented his ambitious program in a speech that we offer extracted. After his recent death, his figure is magnified and his achievements and aspirations are praised.
President, ladies and gentlemen:
”Four years ago I presented the guidelines proposed by the new commission. I ended my speech by highlighting that Europe had to face three great challenges. It's still the same today. We must demonstrate, I told them, that we can act as a group of twelve and not simply stagnate and live fragmentarily. The method bore fruit, I believe, at the end of the three stages of the relaunch of European construction: the adoption of the 1992 objective, the Single Act, that is, the improvement and enrichment of the Treaty of Rome, and, finally, the reform funding that opens up broader possibilities for community action.
”This method is still valid today. Nothing will distract us from our obsession: achieving the Single Act. Second challenge: the influence of Europe. The imperative persists. We must demonstrate that the community speaks with a single voice and that it is an actor and not simply a subject of contemporary history. Although our community is increasingly taken seriously and, a sign of the times, accused by some of wanting to withdraw into itself, or desired by others who want to join it or cooperate more with it, we measure the path that remains to be traveled. Associated Europe, according to the expression proposed by the Commission, requires more cohesion, more sense of responsibility, more initiatives. History is knocking at our door. Are we going to pretend we are deaf?
”Finally, the third challenge is that of civilization. In 1985 I asked that we affirm our values, that we achieve the essential syntheses between the limitations of the world in formation and the often contradictory aspirations of our contemporaries. The challenge remains because, no matter how essential our success is in the economic field, it will not be enough to create a large market without borders, not even – what the Single Act implies – this common economic and social space. It is up to us, before 1993, to give more consistency to this community and, why not, more soul.
”Thus, both from the point of view of the spirit of its action and the method we must follow and the objectives we must achieve, the new commission places itself, without a doubt, under the sign of continuity. We cannot resign ourselves to the lack of external meaning of the community. We cannot disarm ourselves in the face of growing disorder or injustice in the world. Europe must remain faithful to the best in its conception of life in society, in its consideration for each human person.
”The community as such must assume all its responsibilities. Let us rediscover, if you wish, for a moment, the paths of the Single Act. What do we see today? Europe is up and running, the house is in order and the community's economy is in line with that of its main trading partners. I can say it without false humility, but also without boasting: the objectives we set for ourselves, we are on the way to fully achieving them.
”We are in the process of giving birth to a different Europe, advancing with firm steps towards the European Union, the objective, I remind you, of the Single Act. Compared to the magical and mobilizing date of 1992, we are halfway there and the movement is already noticeable on all fronts, thanks in particular to the reinforcement – and not, as some thought, despite the reinforcement – of Spain and Portugal. The excellent preparation of these two countries before their entry into the Community allowed them to immediately integrate fully. And, as is often the case with recent converts, they brought strength, enthusiasm and youth to our project. I am sure that the Spanish presidency will confirm the merits and vigor of this new blood transfusion.
”How can we not emphasize that halfway through, practically half of the measures necessary to achieve an important market have been decided and that the path for the remaining half is clearly laid out? There will be no surprises, the economic agents know it, the route is marked. This is undoubtedly why they seem more energetic than politicians. We cannot emphasize enough the extent to which, in a universe as uncertain as ours, the framework and program established for 1992 provide an asset to decision makers to reduce uncertainty and strengthen their strategies.
”Let's take first the great borderless market. Beyond the accounting of decisions, the qualitative evolution is surprising. Thus, the harmonization of technical standards and standardization, which is sometimes replaced by simple mutual recognition, has taken an immense leap forward. This is no longer the time when it took 18 years to approve a directive on architects, or 16 years for a text on pharmacists. All necessary measures have also been adopted for the complete liberalization of capital movements, thus guaranteeing the creation of a true financial services market in Europe, whose importance for competitiveness and the financing of our savings is known to all.
”And, according to a virtuous circle that we must not lose sight of, this same perspective will require a rapprochement of tax systems and a strengthening of monetary cooperation. In the case of monetary cooperation, this was done twice, I remind you, in Palermo in 1985 and then in Nyborg in 1987, for the greater benefit of a European monetary system that could thus demonstrate its double usefulness: as a powerful incentive for convergence of the economies – the results are there –, like an island of relative stability in a monetary universe still dominated by the absence of visibility and by oscillations that are difficult to control.
”Goods and services, capital, but also people, the fourth aspect provided for by the Treaty of Rome. The directive on the recognition of qualifications will ultimately ensure that qualified European citizens can practice their profession throughout the territory of the Community, an unprecedented symbol that our economic and social space is changing its dimension. Hence the perspective that I already put forward to the social partners of a European labor market. You will also observe that the dynamics of change have extended to all community activities. There will be a single market for all activities, including transport, energy and new products generated by science. This will lead, and is already leading, to greater opportunities for European consumers.
”For this reason, ladies and gentlemen, I insist not only on the creation of a space without borders, but also on support policies that open perspectives for the men and women of the Community. In a word, we want to apply the Single Act, but the Single Act completes. Otherwise, how will we build Europe if men and women at work, employees, business leaders, farmers, industrialists and the liberal professions are not its first builders? How will we create Europe if we abandon – that is, if we leave to others, the Americans and the Japanese – an instrument of rapprochement and culture as strong as television?
”How will we make Europe if we continue, each in our corner, carrying out dispersed research, a source of wealth but also of hope for the future? How will we build Europe if we accept the trivialization of its landscapes and the degradation of its environment? How will we build Europe if young people do not see in it a collective project and a representation of their own future? Hence cohesion, hence solidarity.
”The concern for a strong Europe must be our obsession. Consequently – and it must be emphasized today – if the gap increases even further between the progress of economic Europe and the vacillations of Europe in foreign policy, it could result in a weakening of our dynamism and our will. Because, as you know, it is increasingly difficult to separate economics from politics. I must also remember that the Twelve solemnly affirmed, in the preamble of the Single Act, their desire to create the European Union, that is: one for twelve, twelve for one.
”Ladies and gentlemen, when a commission has just completed its mandate and another has succeeded it to carry out the work undertaken, Europe, obviously, cannot ignore the movements in the world. If opportunities present themselves, you should take advantage of them. If new challenges are presented to you, you must face them. Because history does not wait. Sometimes it bothers us when we want to concentrate on our work, in this case on weaving all the threads of the Single Act. So, what are these opportunities to take advantage of? Promote a Europe of citizens and launch the Economic and Monetary Union.
”History does not wait, and 1992 is too close not to think about the post-1992 era. Two perspectives must, from now on, mobilize us. Firstly, give the Community the necessary dimension for education, culture and social problems and, secondly, respond to the call of other Europes. The first challenge corresponds to this question that we all ask ourselves: what is European civilization still capable of? How can we revive the forces that created it and revive these living humanisms? The answer evidently lies in the triptych education, culture and society.
”For those other Europes, the question that arises is simple: How can we reconcile the success of the integration of the Twelve without setting back those who have as much right as we do to call themselves Europeans? As you know, the Commission has already adopted a position of principle: prioritizing deepening over enlargement. In fact, nothing should distract us from our duty: to implement the Single Act. That said, this has in no way prevented us from strengthening agreements with the countries of the European Free Trade Association, as well as with certain Eastern countries, or even with those that I call the orphans of Europe: Cyprus, Malta, Yugoslavia and also with Turkey.
”Until now we have walked with them on the path opened by the Luxembourg Declaration of 1984, that of the continuous strengthening of pragmatic cooperation. As we advance, the slope becomes steeper, we approach the moment when the climber thinks about taking a breath and stopping to ask themselves – and they also wonder –: Is this the right direction? Are we well equipped to continue down this path? It seems to me that at the beginning of this reflection two paths open to us: either continue within the framework of the current relations, essentially bilateral, to finally reach a free trade area that encompasses the Community and the countries belonging to the European Association of Free trade. Or look for a new form of association, more structured at an institutional level, with common decision-making and management bodies, to increase the effectiveness of our action. This would underline the political dimension of our cooperation in the economic, social, financial and even cultural spheres. Regarding the institutional framework of this cooperation, it is premature to go into details.
”Ladies and gentlemen, the Community is not just a big market. It is also a borderless economic and social space, destined to transform into a political union, including greater cooperation in foreign and security policy. This marriage contract, I repeat, is indivisible, even if all these stipulations have not yet been fulfilled. Only this affectio societatis that unites us allows us to overcome difficulties and contradictions, in a word, advance in all areas of collective action. My personal opinion is that the Community of Twelve must be available for an in-depth debate on the possibilities of reinforced, or even expanded, cooperation with these countries.
”Ladies and gentlemen, it seems to me that, in the new momentum of European construction, for the moment we have managed to reconcile vision and pragmatism. I have not hidden anything from you about the insufficiencies or contradictions, as they seem to me, of the European construction. But it is useful to clearly mark the progress made in the last four years thanks to everyone's help. It is good to highlight the radical change in the climate in our Europe, although there are many concerns to dispel, many efforts to make, to prepare for upcoming events.
”Europe, threatened by tiring of its divisions, remains tremendously rich in its diversities. It is advisable to preserve them, or better yet, make them bear fruit for the common good. And ultimately, our sense of sharing this collective adventure can only strengthen our sense of belonging to one of our old nations. Yes, I repeat, our national pride does not have to fade away, nor do our philosophical or political preferences. After all, don't we want to be the defenders of a renewed democracy? Defenders of human rights, defenders of pluralism? So, ladies and gentlemen, I repeat: Europe will be plural or it will not be; “Europe will be European or it will be nothing.”
