In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former French Junior Minister for European Affairs, describes the implications of and proceedings at the Luxembourg European Council, held on 2 and 3 December 1985, and, in particular, how the Heads of State or Government of the Ten finally succeeded in reviving the negotiations of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) which, in 1985 and 1986, resulted in the Twelve concluding the Single European Act (SEA).

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, describes this institution’s political revival following the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the democratisation of the countries of the former Communist bloc.

Appointed by the Six at the Conference held in Messina, Italy, in June 1955, the Frenchman, René Meyer, succeeds his compatriot, Jean Monnet, who resigned in late 1954, as President of the High Authority of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), seen here at a conference in Luxembourg.

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, discusses the implications of the plan for a European Confederation first proposed by François Mitterrand, President of the French Republic, on 31 December 1989 in the hope of extending, alongside the Council of Europe, the European area within an institution fostering dialogue and cooperation among all the democratic nations of the continent.

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former Member of the European Parliament and former alternate member of the Convention on the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, outlines the working methods used in 1999 and 2000 by the members of the Convention and expresses her satisfaction with the final outcome.

In this interview, Catherine Lalumière, former French Junior Minister for European Affairs and former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, emphasises the political, economic, geostrategic and religious implications of Turkey’s possible accession to the European Union.

This programme, broadcast on 29 May 2005 during the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union, describes the preparatory work of the Council carried out by its working parties and by Coreper before final decisions are taken at ministerial level. The programme includes an interview with Martine Schommer, Permanent Representative of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to the European Union.

On 25 April 2005, at the ceremony held to mark the signing, in Luxembourg, of the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union, Jean-Claude Juncker, Luxembourg Prime Minister and President-in-Office of the European Council, delivers a speech in which he welcomes the significance of the event but emphasises the difficulties which marked the accession negotiations.

On 25 April 2005, at the ceremony held to mark the signing, in Luxembourg, of the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union, Josep Borrell Fontelles, President of the European Parliament, delivers an address in which he welcomes the accession of the two countries.

On 25 April 2005, at the ceremony held to mark the signing, in Luxembourg, of the Treaty of Accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union, José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission, delivers an address in which he emphasises the work that is necessary to ensure that the two countries are fully prepared for their accession, which is scheduled for 1 January 2007.