In this interview excerpt, Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities from 1985 to 1995 and Adviser for Social Affairs then special assistant to Prime Minister Jacques Chaban-Delmas from 1971 to 1972, recalls the originality of Chaban-Delmas' ‘New Society' (Nouvelle société) project within French political circles at the time, and describes the events of May 1968 and the subsequent role of Jacques Chaban-Delmas.