In this interview excerpt, Jean-Claude Trichet, Director of the French Treasury from 1987 to 1993, Governor of the Banque de France from 1993 to 2003 and President of the European Central Bank (ECB) from 2003 to 2011, describes the personality of Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, who was a member of the Executive Board of the European Central Bank from 1998 to 2005 and Italian Minister for the Economy and Finance from 2006 to 2008, and emphasises Padoa-Schioppa’s strong commitment to Europe.