Jacques Delors, former president of the European Commission, former minister and founding president of Notre Europe*, received the Nijmegen medal of peace for his work in forging European cooperation.

In history, the Dutch town of Nijmegen was the meeting place for mediators from across Europe who negotiated an end to the wars ravaging the continent in the 17th century. Their work led to the signing of five treaties in 1678 and 1679, together known as the Peace of Nijmegen.

This event could be seen as one of the first examples of European cooperation and accord. The town, working with the Radboud University of Nijmegen, the Royal Haskoning and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wanted to build on this heritage by starting a new tradition: the awarding of a Nijmegen medal of peace. Every two years starting in the first semester of 2010, an international personality will receive this distinction in recognition of the contribution of his or her action, engagement or thinking towards the development of Europe.


Articles by Jacques Delors :

• Jacques Delors in the Het Financieele Dagblad
• Jacques Delors in The Daily Telegraph
• Jacques Delors in El Pais
• "Europe must use bonds to fight the debt crisis on two fronts" article in The Guardian
• President Barroso's Road Map