In this interview excerpt, Philippe de Schoutheete, Belgian Permanent Representative to the European Union from 1987 to 1997, emphasises the important role played by the Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) in the work of the Council, despite the fact that other committees of senior officials, such as the Political Committee and the Monetary Committee, have since been established. He describes the friendly atmosphere and good working relations that characterised Coreper during his time as Permanent Representative, and to illustrate his point he shares two anecdotes concerning two former Permanent Representatives, one from Britain (Sir John Kerr) and one from France (François Scheer).