The ‘Oral history of European integration’ collection presents audio and video accounts from key players and observers of the European integration process.

Find out more

‘Oral history of European integration’ collection

‘Oral history of European integration’ collection

Exclusive interviews with eyewitnesses and key players in the European integration process

 

For more than 20 years now, accounts from people who have witnessed and been involved in the major events that have shaped the European integration process have been recorded and published on CVCE.eu. Researchers in European integration studies have recorded or filmed more than a hundred interviews. Over 160 hours of footage have been published in full and in the form of selected excerpts, which can also be consulted in the thematic sections.

 

©CVCE

Aims and methodology

The interviews are chiefly conducted for academic purposes, to provide new primary sources for researchers specialising in European studies. These sources often represent a useful complement to existing resources and archive material, offering a new perspective. They also constitute an important legacy, as both the result of a process of academic research and the starting point for further investigation.

The interviews are semi-structured; they are based on a questionnaire which includes biographical questions and questions on specific research topics. Before drawing up the questionnaire, the researchers identify the main themes on which the interviewee is likely to be able to offer valuable information or a particular viewpoint. The questionnaire is sent to the interviewee, who is free to make any adjustments he or she considers appropriate. The aim is for the interview to provide as much relevant information as possible.

Each interview has its own section in the form of a dedicated web page. The interviews are systematically published in full and accompanied by a short biography of the interviewee. Each interview is also indexed by theme and selected excerpts are published to offer easy access to the topics covered. The full interview and the excerpts are all given a title and an explanatory caption which presents the content and sets it in context. Finally, a transcription of the interview is published in the dedicated online section, together with a translation into English and/or French.

The choice of people approached for an interview is primarily determined by the themes covered in the various research projects, the expertise they can offer and the extent to which they were involved in the events under study. The following people have been interviewed:

 
©CVCE

 

Back to Oral History section