In this interview, Alexandre Lamfalussy, General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) from 1985 to 1993 and President of the European Monetary Institute (EMI) from 1994 to 1997, describes the method employed by Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1994, to obtain the support of the Heads of Government of the main Member States — particularly the Federal Republic of Germany — so as to enable the introduction of a single European currency. He goes on to speak about the direct support offered by Helmut Kohl when Lamfalussy was President of the EMI.

In this interview, Alexandre Lamfalussy, General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) from 1985 to 1993 and President of the European Monetary Institute (EMI) from 1994 to 1997, explains the role that he played as a member of the ‘Delors Committee’, which was tasked in 1988 with studying and proposing concrete stages for the progressive realisation of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). He particularly focuses on the attitude of the various members of the ‘Delors Committee’ with regard to the chances of success for EMU, and describes the circumstances surrounding his appointment as President of the European Monetary Institute (EMI).

In this interview, Alexandre Lamfalussy, General Manager of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) from 1985 to 1993 and President of the European Monetary Institute (EMI) from 1994 to 1997, describes the nature of the contact made with employers in the private sector during the work of the ‘Delors Committee’ in 1988 and in connection with the establishment of Economic and Monetary Union.