BRUSSELS, Dec. 5 -- European Union (EU) leaders on late Thursday mourned the passing of former South African President Nelson Mandela who died earlier on Thursday at the age of 95 after a prolonged lung infection.

European Council president Herman Van Rompuy called Mandela "one of the greatest political figures of our times" in a Twitter post, while European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Mandela changed course of history for his people, country, continent and the world, adding that his thoughts were with Mandela's family and the people of South Africa.

"Nelson Mandela represents the fight against racism, political violence and intolerance. He represents justice, freedom and respect for human rights," Van Rompuy and Barroso said in a joint statement, "He taught us all a major lesson in reconciliation, political transition and social transformation."

"Only a person with his profound humanity, moral integrity and authority and clear vision for the future of his country, could have achieved this," the statement read.

"South Africa today loses its father, the world loses a hero. I pay tribute to one of the greatest humans of our time," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said in a separate statement.

"Nelson Mandela dies today, but his legacy will last forever," said Schulz, "He has been a fighter, a leader and a source of inspiration for so many people throughout Africa, Europe and the entire world."

Schulz said that Mandela gave new meaning to words such as freedom, equality, justice, reconciliation and forgiveness through his leadership and personal example.

Mandela, who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, had battled health problems in recent months, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.

The former South African president was released from hospital in early September following an 85-day stay for a recurring lung infection, the result of his longtime imprisonment during the apartheid times.

Mandela spent 27 years in prison after being convicted of treason by the then white minority government in South Africa, only to forge a peaceful end to white rule by negotiating with his captors after his release in 1990.

He led the African National Congress, long a banned liberation movement, to a resounding electoral victory in 1994, the first fully democratic election in the country's history.