Jacques Delors was a French economist and politician who played a significant role in European affairs. Born on July 20, 1925, he served as the President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995. Delors was instrumental in advancing the process of European integration and played a key role in shaping the economic and monetary policies of the European Community.
During his tenure, Delors focused on deepening economic and monetary cooperation among member states, and he was a driving force behind the creation of the Single European Act in 1986 and the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. He also played a crucial role in the establishment of the European single market and the development of the European Union.
Delors' commitment to European unity and his efforts to strengthen the EU's institutional framework have left a lasting impact on the trajectory of European integration. After his term as President of the European Commission, Delors continued to be active in European affairs and remained an influential figure in discussions about the future of the European Union.
He died on December 27th 2023, aged 98.
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By Rory Stewart
Rory Stewart served in the UK Cabinet as Secretary of State for International Development, and before that as Prisons Minister, Minister for Africa, Minister for Development, Environment Minister and Chair of the Defence Committee. He ran against Boris Johnson for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2019. Earlier in his career he was briefly in the British Army, before serving as a diplomat in Indonesia, the Balkans and Iraq, establishing and running a charity in Afghanistan, and holding a chair at Harvard University. His 21-month 6,000-milewalk across Asia, including Afghanistan, is recorded in his New York Times bestseller, The Places in Between. His other books include Occupational Hazards, and The Marches. Stewart is now the president of the non-profit organisation GiveDirectly, a visiting fellow at Yale's Jackson School and the co-host with Alastair Campbell of the UK's leading podcast The Rest Is Politics. He tweets at @RoryStewartUK.
By Michel Barnier
In June 2016, the people of the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union. As the EU’s chief negotiator, for four years Michel Barnier had a seat at the table as the two sides thrashed out what ‘Brexit’ would really mean. The result would change Britain and Europe forever.
During the 1600 days of complex and often acrimonious negotiations, Michel Barnier kept a secret diary. He recorded his private hopes and fears, and gave a blow-by-blow account as the negotiations oscillated between consensus and disagreement, transparency and lies.
From Brussels to London, from Dublin to Nicosia, Michel Barnier’s secret diary lifts the lid on what really happened behind the scenes of one of the most high-stakes negotiations in modern history. The result is a unique testimony from the ultimate insider on the hidden world of Brexit and those who made it happen.