EU officers remembered former European Commissioner Peter Sutherland as a a “true” and “dedicated” European after he died Sunday on the age of 71.
Sutherland turned the youngest-ever European commissioner in 1985 on the age of 38, in command of competitors and briefly schooling beneath European Fee President Jacques Delors. Earlier than that he labored as Eire’s lawyer normal and later turned director normal of the World Commerce Group.
Sutherland had been unwell for a while earlier than his loss of life, in response to media reviews.
Fee President Jean-Claude Juncker mentioned he was “deeply saddened” by the information.
“In each sense of the phrase Peter Sutherland was a real European,” Juncker mentioned in a assertion. “He was one of many founding fathers of the Erasmus program and was instrumental in shaping our inside market within the early days and competitors coverage as we all know it right this moment.”
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar struck the same observe. “He was a statesman in each sense of the phrase; an Irishman, a dedicated European and a proud internationalist,” Varadkar tweeted. “All through his life, he was a champion for particular person and financial freedoms.”
Irish Commissioner Phil Hogan, in command of agriculture and rural growth, tweeted: “Peter was most likely Eire’s most distinguished worldwide statesman. A real believer within the European perfect.”
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