In this extract, Pierre Bernard-Reymond, State Secretary for European Affairs in the French Foreign Ministry from 1979 to 1981, discusses Greece’s accession to the European Economic Community, emphasising the relationship between Valéry Giscard d’Estaing and Konstantinos Karamanlis as well as the symbolic aspects of this accession.

In this extract, Pierre Bernard-Reymond, State Secretary for European Affairs in the French Foreign Ministry from 1979 to 1981, recalls the concerns of the President of the French Republic, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, regarding the accession of Spain and Portugal to the European Communities, and the consequences of their accession.

In this extract, Pierre Bernard-Reymond, Senator for the Hautes-Alpes département from 2007 to 2014, cites the conclusions of the 1997 report on Romania’s accession to the European Union, in his capacity as rapporteur. He discusses the fact that Romania was not ready at that stage with regard to legislation and corruption.