Jacques Delors was the President of the European Commission to have exercised this function the longest (1985-1995). A particularly rich longevity, as his mandate is considered, still today as the golden age of EU construction. Worthy heir to Jean Monnet, one of the founding fathers of Europe, Jacques Delors showed “leadership” remained in the history of the EU. The documentary by Cécile Amar, Jacques Delors, itinerary of a European, traces the path of a discreet politician, who strengthened Europe’s credibility on the international scene and was the main instigator of the Erasmus program.
“Erasmus, I had the idea even before I was President of the Commissionconfides Jacques Delors, in the documentary. And my problem was to convince Mrs Thatcher. Nailed it. And from there, we were able to start these student exchanges which have since attracted a lot of satisfaction”. Adopted by the European Commission in 1987, the program has become over time a veritable institution, even the spearhead of the European Union. From the second year, post-baccalaureate, students from all over Europe could leave for a university year, in Spain, Germany or even Norway.
An undeniable success, as confirmed in the film by former Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo. “He was also the founder of Erasmus. There are 12 million Erasmus beneficiaries, there when we discuss (2022). All this leaves important traces.” The enthusiasm for this program is such that it arouses the interest of other countries. “The King of Morocco (Hassan II) asks to see me urgently, reveals Jacques Delors in the documentary, and to convince me, he sends me a plane on Sunday. (…) He told me ‘I admire the way the commission works, and I would like my heir to have this experience of these international relations and the coexistence between several countries.'”
The Crown Prince, Mohammad VI, then spent a few months in Brussels. If he is not, during his internship, “a hard worker”, According to the testimony in the film by Pascal Lamy, former European commissioner and close friend of Jacques Delors, Mohammed VI is still finishing his doctoral thesis on European unification. Having become king of Morocco in 1999, he will pay, in a letter, a very beautiful tribute to Jacques Delors, who sums up how much the former minister was the true architect of the contemporary European Union. “It was given to me to associate with someone who will go down in European annals as the most devoted militant to the cause of the Old Continent. I mean President Jacques Delors with whom I had the privilege, then Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Morocco, to carry out a fruitful internship.”
The documentary “Jacques Delors, itinerary of a European” directed by Cécile Amar is broadcast at 10:50 p.m. on France 5 on Sunday May 8.