Archives historiques Parlement européen

Creating the Single Market and the euro 

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Oral History Testimonies

 

For this project commemorating 50 years of direct European elections, we interviewed 11 former Members of the European Parliament, European Commissioners, ECB executives and high-level EU staff who worked to create — and continue to advocate for — the European Single Market and currency.

The interviews span their unique personal stories, institutional experiences, and challenges faced in achieving what they each envisioned for Europe. Together, however, they paint an insightful picture of the formative years for these initiatives that would be so defining for the EU as we know it today.

Interviews with the speakers listed below have been recorded and are currently being processed by the Archives Unit. These pages will be updated as the interviews become available.

 

Institutional memory - Creating the Single Market and the euro

 

 

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Pervenche Berès

As Chair of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs and rapporteur for the Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis (2009-2011), Pervenche Berès has been a fierce advocate for the Single Market and eurozone crisis management. 

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Evelyne Gebhardt

As rapporteur for the Services Directive and co-rapporteur for the Digital Single Market Act, European Parliament Member Evelyne Gebhardt fought for the social dimension of the single market.

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Enrico Letta

Author of the high-level report on the future of the Single Market, Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy and President of the Jacques Delors Institute, has a clear vision for the way forward.

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George Benjamin Patterson

With his unique perspective as both a member of Parliament's staff and Member of the European Parliament, Ben Patterson has witnessed the development of the Single Market, including the introduction of the euro and the crises the market faced.

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Christa Randzio-Plath

As Chair of the Subcommittee on Monetary Affairs and the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Christa Randzio-Plath represented the voice of citizens during the launch of the euro, relentlessly championing democratic accountability and the visibility of the European Parliament in EU monetary policy.
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Pascal Lamy

As Jacques Delors' chief of cabinet, Pascal Lamy played a key role in the development of the Single Market and the euro. As European Commissioner on Trade (1999-2004), he was a strong advocate for the Single Market on an international scale.

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Jean-Pierre Malivoir

Jean-Pierre Malivoir brought the euro to citizens, leading an unprecedented and highly successful communication campaign to prepare European businesses and citizens for the single currency.
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Nicolas Schmit

Former Commissioner Nicolas Schmit grew up surrounded by Luxembourg's steel and coal production. From here he began a career in politics, witnessing the development of the Single Market from its very beginnings.  

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Yves-Thibault de Silguy

Yves-Thibault de Silguy was the European Commissioner for Economic, Monetary and Financial Affairs when the euro was launched across eleven EU member states.

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Yves Mersch

A member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank since its creation in 1998 and a member of the Executive Board from 2012 to 2020, Yves Mersch is steeped in the institutional memory of the ECB.

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Jean-Claude Trichet

During his time as president of the European Central Bank from 2003 to 2011, Jean-Claude Trichet (alias 'Monsieur Euro') was confronted with the near-existential threat to the currency posed by the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent sovereign debt crisis.

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