Interview with Pons-Deladrière, Geneviève

From the The European Commission 1986-2000. Memories of an institution Collection

Identity Statement

HAEU Reference Code
INT1108
Interview Informations

Recorded in 21 June 2017 Brussels
Interview by Jan-Henrik Meyer in English

Access Level
Open Transcript, Open Audio
Materials

Electronic File

Content

Abstract

In this interview, Ms Pons-Deladrière discussed the following topics:
- origins, childhood, education;
- work as judge at French Conseil d’État, joining the Commission’s legal service, infringement
procedures, birds protection, water pollution, European law training;
- moving to Delors’ cabinet, family, secondment, concours, work in Cabinet, Delors and environment, carbon tax, Cabinet meetings, Delors’agenda, internal think tank “Cellule de prospective”, cooperation with Director
- General Brinkhorst, Rio 1992, Green economic thinking, “environment, economic and social pillars”, CO2 tax proposal and reasons for its failure, preparations for international conferences within Cabinet, personal environmental motivations;
- move to DG Industry, special advisor on Climate and Environment for Energy Intensive Industries, arguments for Climate Policy: First Mover Advantage, Energy Savings, corporate social responsibility;
- move to Communication, communicating European benefits for citizens, cooperating with
Euronews, critical journalism, modes of communication, targeted e.g. for SMEs;
- move to competition unit, cooperation with DG REGIO, environmental policy integration, “mirror units”, competitiveness and competition, move to better regulation and Edmund Stoiber’s “cutting red tape” programme, critique of better regulation agenda, simplification of taxation and VAT, Stoiber’s views changed, environmental regulation untouched, leaving the Commission, move back to France to Conseil d’État, move to be head of ILO’s legal service, benefits of European regulation, sustainable development agenda, moving to WWF,
WWF working with Commission and European Parliament, collaborating in Green 10 and Civil Society Europe, sustainable development agenda meeting Delors with green NGOs, Delors’ evolving attitude towards the environment, change in early 1990s, sustainable development ideas, challenges, gender issues, media use, languages, change towards more “
liberalism” after Delors’ departure, effects of enlargement, memorable civil servants.

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