European Council Quotes

I have been supporting the European Union, but we are still a work in progress. We have to become more of a United States of Europe. We should talk about electing a president of the E.U., rather than having one selected from the heads of government.

Western Europe has been redefining the nation state since 1945 when it formed the European Union following World War II.

In the long term, Germany didn't need a finance minister who was absent during important negotiations in the European Council. But the chancellor strongly encouraged me to stay. And everything did work out for the best in the end.

For me, arguably, the European Parliament is the best-functioning European institution. They are extremely good at law-making; they're extremely good at finding compromise under pressure.

Europe is a state with several provinces

I was turned out because I said to Europe no, no, no. That no, no , no has now turned into yes, yes. Two yes's not three because he got the Social Chapter out and he's reserved his position on the single currency.

In the E.U., the initiation of policy comes from the European Commission - not the European parliament, the European Commission, an appointed body; a committee of 27 countries where everything is haggled away.

There's going to be a need for a system of cooperation within the continent of Europe including the U.K. that covers both economic and political cooperation.

As leader of the Fine Gael Party, I will also use our position in the European People's Party to clearly state our views with our European political partners.

It's been President Clinton's dream that we'll have finally a fully integrated Europe.

The EU suffers from … a structural democratic deficit. Of its seven institutions, just one—the European Parliament—is directly elected by the people, and it cannot initiate legislation.

I have said I will not work with the parliamentary party in Strasbourg again but of course I will continue to be a member of Ukip.

The European Union is here to stay.

You can consider this carved in stone: I rule out becoming Herman Van Rompuy's successor.

The whole project of European Union is one in deep trouble.

Europe started out with six countries; three small countries and three large countries.

The European Union is not only a great idea, but it's also an idea we must keep working on.

The obstacle for us is not Islam, but the bureaucrats in Brussels.

For many years prior to the 1990s, European integration was embraced and supported by a large majority of citizens. A united Europe, bound by commonly-held democratic values, was perceived as an essential and effective buffer against the Soviet empire. A united Europe made a repeat of the First and Second World Wars almost unthinkable.

The treaties of the European Union say that, once a country has decided to leave, then they are excluded from the treaty after two years, unless there is unanimous agreement to extend that period.

The European Union is effectively a union dominated by the German political and economic elite. Its main function is to serve as a nucleus for financial capitalism and to ease the road for that capitalism. The other functions just irritate everyone: it's undemocratic; decisions are not made by parliament; the European Parliament is not sovereign.

Europe is a community of half a billion people, more than Russia and the United States combined.

Yes, Jean Monnet was the father of the concept of a United States of Europe and his efforts more than those of any other single man helped change the thinking of European leaders.

The EU is not a country and it's not going to become a country, in my view, now or ever in the future. It is a group of countries working together.

I was a Member of the European Parliament for a period of time and I saw a lot of European laws and treaties.