This interview focuses on the period 1996-1999, when Mme Christine Roger was Adviser to the President of the European Commission Jacques Santer. The topics addressed in the interview include the position and impact of the (President’s) Cabinet within the Commission, the organisation and division of responsibilities within the area of external relations (CFSP, development and humanitarian aid, commercial policies, etc.), the work methods of Santer, the start of the enlargement process towards Central and Eastern Europe, the inter-institutional relationship with the European Parliament and Council of Ministers, the democratic deficit, the size of the Commission, etc. Finally, the interview also covers the years 1999 till the early 2000s when Mme Roger was Head of Cabinet under Commissioner Michel Barnier, responsible for Regional Policy.