Speaker Mário Soares on the laureate:

‘In less than a year “1992” became a myth and the creation of an economic area between the Twelve a firm element that brought an end to the contradictions of the non-common-market; for this was the nature of the Community for a long time despite its spirit and the founding treaties. […] Delors and his team dismissed the great illusion of suggesting a single market. They took care of coming up not only with consumers but also citizens. […] In this spirit the decisive step, embodied in the Single European Act, was taken; the first great reform of the Roman Treaties and the fundamental basis for the adept politics […] that led to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and the drawing near of the dream of European Unity which up until recently still seemed impossible.’