Edith Cresson
Full interview
Background
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the first election of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, MEP between 1979 and 1981, describes her experience at the European Parliament.
Writings
Édith Cresson, Histoires françaises: negotiations on the CAP and French farmers
TexteIn her book Histoires françaises, Édith Cresson, former French Minister for Agriculture, describes her relationship with French farmers and the major European negotiations on the common agricultural policy (CAP).
Édith Cresson, Histoires françaises: the failings of the French political elite in Brussels
TexteIn Histoires françaises, Édith Cresson, former European Commissioner, deplores the lack of influence of French politicians in Brussels, France’s inefficiency when preparing its position in the Council of Ministers and the absence of a link between the government and the French members of the Commission.
Édith Cresson, Histoires françaises: the Santer Commission and the European Parliament
TexteIn Histoires françaises, Édith Cresson, former European Commissioner, considers the European Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control (CoCoBu) and the reaction of other Commissioners and of the President of the European Commission, Jacques Santer, to the European Parliament’s defiance of the Commission.
The CAP negotiations and French farmers
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the negotiations on the CAP and French farmers
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, former French Agriculture Minister, discusses the major European negotiations on agriculture, France’s position in these negotiations and the country’s thorny relations with French agricultural circles.
The European automotive industry
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the European automotive industry and imports of Japanese cars
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, former French Minister for Foreign Trade then for Industrial Redeployment and Foreign Trade, regrets the absence of economic policy at European level and describes the differences of opinion between the French Government and the Commission on Japanese competition in the automotive industry.
The failings of the French political elite
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the failings of the French political elite in Brussels
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, former French Minister for European Affairs, regrets that the French political elite does not understand the notion of ‘influence’ and refuses to engage in lobbying in Brussels. She also criticises their working methods.
The French position and the role of François Mitterrand
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the French position in the late 1980s and the role of François Mitterrand
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, former French Minister for European Affairs, outlines the role of the administration in the establishment of France’s European policy and emphasises the importance of personal relationships, particularly describing the impetus provided by François Mitterrand.
The Santer Commission
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the Santer Commission
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, former European Commissioner, describes her appointment to the post of European Commissioner for Research, Education and Youth and criticises Jacques Santer’s lack of authority and the behaviour of the European Parliament.
Interview with Jacques Santer: the composition of the European Commission (Sanem, 3 May 2006)
VidéoIn this interview, Jacques Santer, former President of the European Commission, outlines the criteria, in particular the political criteria, which, in 1994, guided the selection of Commissioners and the allocation of portfolios.
‘Future President of the European Commission, Santer impresses’ from Le Nouveau Quotidien (26 October 1994)
TexteOn 26 October 1994, the Swiss newspaper Le Nouveau Quotidien describes the new European Commission and its President, Jacques Santer.
The Santer Commission and the European Parliament
Interview with Édith Cresson (Paris, 29 January 2008) — Excerpt: the Santer Commission and the European Parliament
VidéoIn this interview, Édith Cresson, former European Commissioner, discusses the weaknesses of the Santer Commission and the behaviour of the European Parliament.
Interview with Nicole Fontaine (Brussels, 5 February 2008) — Excerpt: the resignation of the Santer Commission
VidéoIn this interview, Nicole Fontaine, Member of the European Parliament from 1984 to 2002, looks back at the circumstances which led to the adoption by the European Parliament, on 23 March 1999, of a resolution on the resignation of the European Commission presided by Jacques Santer and on the appointment of a new Commission.
Interview with Jacques Santer: the resignation en bloc of the European Commission (Sanem, 3 May 2006)
VidéoIn this interview, Jacques Santer, former President of the European Commission, recalls the reasons and circumstances which led him to submit, on 15 March 1999, the resignation en bloc of the Commission.