During the interview, Mr Purkiss discussed the following issues:
- educational background;
- early career;
- appointment as director of Eurofound;
- state of affairs in Eurofound 1985 (Budget for 1986 in 'Chapter 100', appointment of new director and 4-year programme);
- involvement in the final 4-year programme;
- relations and collaboration between Eurofound and the Commission;
- 1984 Communication to the Council on competitiveness of European industry;
- European Industrial Relations Survey (EURI);
- European Industrial Relations Observatory (EIRO);
- influence of the enlargements on the Foundation’s activities;
- the social partners and Eurofound;
- Cedefop;
- tripartite nature of Eurofound;
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work;
- the Community Charter of Basic Social Rights;
- Green Paper on Social Policy 1994;
- regularization of working relationship with the Parliament;
- contribution of Eurofound in developing policies;
- diffusion of Eurofound Annual Reports;
- Parliament’s Committee on Budget Control;
- Court of Auditors;
- Eurofund’s Committee of Experts;
- relations with DGV, DGXI, and DGXII;
- Mr Degimbe, DGV’s Director-General and Chairman Eurofound;
- appointment of Mr Flynnas Commissioner for Social Affairs 1993;
- seat and representation of Eurofound;
- Single European Act of 1987;
- European Social Policy;
- Foundation of IMS in 1969;
- Delors;
- informational and advisory role of Eurofound;
- the programme 'Eurocounsel’;
- Treaty of Amsterdam 1997;
- Cedefop and Eurofound sharing offices;
- long-term unemployment concerns in the 1980s;
- White Paper on Growth, Competitiveness and Employment 1993;
- the 1997 European Employment Strategy (EES);
- ACCESS programme;
- COMETT;
-Erasmus;
- UK and the debate on the future of Europe;
- professionalism of the Commission’s services;
- retirement from Eurofound.