PARIS, December 28. /TASS/. Former President of the European Commission, French politician Jacques Delors has died at the age of 98, the politician's daughter, Lille Mayor Martine Aubry, told the AFP news agency.

"He passed away this morning in his Paris home in his sleep," Aubry said.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed regret over the politician's death. "His commitment, his ideals and his justness will always inspire us. I adore his work and share the pain of his loved ones," the French leader wrote on his page on X (formerly Twitter).

In January 1985, Delors became president of the Commission of the European Communities, which was renamed the European Commission in 1993. He headed it for three terms - until the end of January 1995. Delors was the initiator of the White Paper, which contained a plan for the implementation of his 1992 Program for the formation of the Single European Market. The politician also favored the development of economic and political ties with Russia. In 1994, a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Russia and the EU was signed. In 1988, Delors promoted the signing of a declaration of mutual recognition between the Commission of the European Communities and the USSR.