In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, looks back on the period of cohabitation between François Mitterrand, President of the Republic, and the government led by Édouard Balladur, Prime Minister, between 1993 and 1995, and describes his own specific role as Minister for European Affairs during this period.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, outlines France’s position during the negotiations for the accession of Austria, Sweden, Finland and Norway to the European Union.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, describes the negotiations that led to the entry into force of the Schengen Convention on 26 March 1995 in Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. This agreement provided for the gradual abolition of controls at the countries’ common borders and the introduction of a regime for the free movement of people.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for European Affairs from 1993 to 1995, describes the initiative of the Prime Minister, Édouard Balladur, to hold a Conference on Stability in Europe, which took place in Paris on 20 and 21 March 1995 under the aegis of the OSCE, at the request of the European Union. The aim of this conference was to encourage countries wishing to accede to the European Union to consolidate their borders and, if necessary, to ensure the protection of minorities.

In this interview, Alain Lamassoure, French Minister for the Budget from 1995 to 1997, discusses the negotiations associated with the Stability Pact and the introduction of the euro during this period.