After the announcement of the death of Jacques Delors, which occurred on Wednesday December 27 at the age of 98, the former Minister of Culture Jack Lang paid tribute to him and recognized his “commitment to cultural exception”.
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“He will forever remain the man of Europe”greets Jack Lang this Wednesday, December 27 on Franceinfo, after the death of Jacques Delors, the former president of the European Commission, at the age of 98. The two men were appointed ministers in 1981 within the government of François Mitterrand: The first to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the second to that of Culture. “We called him the boss of Europe. It was he who gave Europe a face, gave it its appearance”remembers Jack Lang.
“He had an internationalist version” continues the man who was reappointed head of the Arab World Institute last week. According to Jack Lang, the best way to define Jacques Delors’ way of thinking is as follows: “Make the greater interests of Europe and France prevail over small calculations. It is the honor of France, it is the honor of the left, the honor of Europe.”
“Culture is not a commodity like any other”
Favorite in the polls, Jacques Delors had given up on running in the 1995 presidential election. Jack Lang remembers this choice as a “shock, a painful moment. I think he would have made a good president”. He also emphasizes “Jacques Delors’ commitment to cultural exceptionalism, the idea that culture is not a commodity like any other but must be preserved and protected.” Jacques Delors was able to have this notion recognized by the European Commission, says Jack Lang: “Decisive in saving the support mechanisms for cinema, art, television, almost everywhere in Europe and particularly in France.”
