Being described as a stupid bureaucrat with no link to representative democracy is difficult to take.
We shouldn't persuade people that we can simply conjure up the sun and the moon: at the most, we can deliver a telescope.
My main concern is to protect people from detriment.
The European family may well be anything but perfect. But it is the best thing that we have for bringing the countries of Europe around the same table and for forging compromises so that people here can live in peace, freedom, and prosperity.
The rule of law means that law and justice are upheld by an independent judiciary. The judgments of the European Court of Justice have to be respected by all. To undermine them, or to undermine the independence of national courts, is to strip citizens of their fundamental rights. The rule of law is not optional in the European Union. It is a must.
I have met in my life two big destroyers: Gorbachev, who destroyed the Soviet Union, and Cameron, who destroyed the United Kingdom to some extent, even if there is no wave of Scotland to become independent.
We decide on something, leave it lying around, and wait and see what happens. If no one kicks up a fuss, because most people don't understand what has been decided, we continue step by step until there is no turning back.
In a union of equals, there can be no second-class consumers. I will not accept that in some parts of Europe, people are sold food of lower quality than in other countries, despite the packaging and branding being identical.
Forgetting the importance of national landscapes, cultures, national behaviours, reactions, and reflexes is a big, big mistake.
However painful or regrettable Brexit may be, it will not stop the E.U. as it moves to the future; we need to move forward.
The populists are spreading slogans. We have to offer solutions and answers.
From the very beginning, Europe has been not only a success story but also a story of success achieved by learning.
