In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Minister for Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1974, from 1977 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1992 and Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, outlines the main matters on the agenda for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Communities from July to December 1993. Claes particularly focuses on the Uruguay Round, the international negotiations that led to the establishment of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, outlines the difficulties, challenges and opportunities for the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Communities between July and December 1993.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, explains how the establishment (by the Treaty of Lisbon, which came into force on 1 December 2009) of a permanent President of the European Council provides continuity in European policy. He also believes that the six-month Presidencies held by Member States are no longer necessary.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, discusses the unanimity between the Belgian Prime Minister and his Foreign Minister with regard to European issues, and speaks about the confidential nature of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Communities between July and December 1993, which was in stark contrast with the open nature of the preceding Danish Presidency, from January to June 1993.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Minister for Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1974, from 1977 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1992 and Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, explains that the advance of federalisation in Belgium in the early 1990s, particularly the Saint-Michel agreements in 1992 and 1993, complicated negotiations and decision-making processes.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, discusses the compatibility of the status of neutrality with accession to the European Communities. He also speaks about the importance of enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe and the challenges raised by this enlargement.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, describes the negotiations with the European Parliament on the Communities’ financial perspective during the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Communities between July and December 1993. He also emphasises his respect for the European Parliament, which he sees as one of the pillars of European integration.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, outlines the difficulties of the bilateral negotiations on the Structural Funds during the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Communities between July and December 1993. He also emphasises the important role played by Jacques Delors, President of the European Commission from 1985 to 1995, in securing an agreement.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, discusses the question of the seat of the Community institutions and his negotiations with François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic from 1981 to 1995, on the seat of the European Parliament.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994, shares his impressions of François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic from 1981 to 1995, and Helmut Kohl, German Federal Chancellor from 1982 to 1998. He also emphasises the importance of consensus between Berlin and Paris.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994 and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from 1994 to 1995, explains that the question of finding a balance between the common interest and the specific interests of respective states is closely linked to the globalised world and to international relations. Claes believes that it is vital for the European Union to change its public image as a divided union on the international stage.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994 and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from 1994 to 1995, believes that the success of the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Communities between July and December 1993 is likely to have influenced his appointment as NATO Secretary General in 1994.