In this interview, Mr Pleinevaux discussed the following topics:
- his personal background;
- his career at Euratom (Ispra);
- Michel Carpentier and the first environmental policy research programme;
- his relations with the European Parliament;
- DG Environment, Consumer Protection and Nuclear Safety;
- international cooperation (UNEP and the US Environmental Protection Agency);
- the environment impact assessment directive and the birds directive;
- the implementation of environmental directives and the lack of legislation;
- the European Year of Environment;
- the role of the Secretariat-General, relations with other DGs;
- Simone Veil;
- management of projects and financial control;
- relations with NGOs;
- the Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund;
- the environmental impact assessment;
- the LIFE regulation;
- the accession of Portugal;
- the revision of the Espoo convention;
- women in the European Commission;
- his contacts with Belgium, interest groups, BusinessEurope and NGOs;
- working languages;
- the transformation of the Environment and Consumer Protection Service into a DG;
- impacts of the enlargements;
- the Single European Act;
- key personalities and staff of DG XI;
- technological change in the Commission;
- European schools.