The German-French friendship is indispensable for Europe. And I will never let myself be carried away to making statements that would change it.

A large country with such outstanding economic performance as Germany cannot forget that it owes some of its success to demand from other European countries.

The German-French friendship is indispensable for Europe. And I will never let myself be carried away to making statements that would change it.

I don't want to drive the markets crazy. I don't want to create trouble, but rather order and rules and norms. We have to struggle against financial excesses, those who speculate with sovereign debt, those who develop financial products which have done so much harm.

There is just one France... one single nation, united in the same destiny.

Mitterrand had a sense for symbols, and he was the first Socialist president since 1958. He wanted to show that there is historical continuity, a connection with the great figures of French history.

I'm not a lukewarm European. I know that the German-French friendship is indispensable, no matter who the countries' leaders are.