Former French leader Chirac dies aged 86

Having been a Eurosceptic in his earlier days, when his ambition earned him another of his nicknames, Le Bulldozer, Chirac became a strong believer in European federalism, and when the single European currency was launched in 1999, he said it was "much more than just a means of payment. It has a symbolic dimension. With it the Europeans will be stronger, more united".

Ursula von der Leyen, the president-elect of the European Commission, said she was "pained" to learn of Chirac's passing.

"A true leader, a great European and a man who inspired a generation. We must strive to honor his legacy by building a stronger and more united Union," she tweeted, with Christine Lagard, former managing director of the International Monetary Fund, calling him "a visionary statesman and an inspirational leader who tirelessly worked to improve the lives of the French people and build a more peaceful world".

Former British prime minister John Major said Chirac was "a supreme politician－but one whose mind could be changed by facts, by persuasion or by circumstance. Although he was forever impulsive－and often brave－once he gave his word it was, in my own experience, invariably honored."