In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Minister for Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1974, from 1977 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1992, gives his views on the oil crisis in the 1970s. Claes particularly emphasises his disappointment at the lack of solidarity between the nine Member States of the European Economic Community (EEC) during the crisis.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Minister for Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1974, from 1977 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1992, Foreign Minister from 1992 to 1994 and Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) from 1994 to 1995, describes the first steps taken towards a common European industrial policy and emphasises the need to develop large-scale policies.

In this interview excerpt, Willy Claes, Belgian Minister for Economic Affairs from 1973 to 1974, from 1977 to 1982 and from 1988 to 1992, explains the importance of the Davignon Plan introduced by the European Commission in 1977 for the industrial restructuring of the iron and steel sector through the application of some of the procedures provided by the Treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).