During the interview, Dr Hänsch discussed the following topics:
- his views on European integration over time;
- the impact of cooperation and co-decision procedures on relations between the European Parliament (EP) and the European Commission (EC);
- the Cooperation and conflict between EC and EP;
- their roles in EU external relations and German unification;
- the fragmentation of EC external influence by separate portfolios for commercial, foreign, development and security and defence policies;
- the working relationships with EC presidents Delors and Santer, their personalities;
- the launching of public hearing procedures for designated Commissioners;
- the making of a more political EC;
- Delors' transformative leadership;
- personal relationships with Kohl and Schröder;
- the support for Santer;
- Santer’s policy “do less, but do it better”;
- improved EU governance;
- the views on EU enlargement;
- the 1992 Hänsch Report on enlargement;
- stressing the need for institutional reform;
- EC’s political instinct or lack thereof;
- successful and weaker Commissioners;
- the link between doing well in the hearings and subsequent performance as a
Commissioner;
- the downfall of the Santer Commission.