For me, socialism has always been about liberty and solidarity, but also about responsibility.

My objective is that before the end of the millennium Europe should have a true federation. The Commission should become a political executive which can define essential common interests... responsible before the European Parliament and before the nation-states represented how you will, by the European Council or by a second chamber of national parliaments.

Fundamentally, American society is composed of individuals who don't go out of their way to do each other favours.

The problem with a purely collective system is not only that it requires economic growth, and the right sort of demographic trends, but that it prevents people thinking about their futures in a responsible way.

If you don't have collective agreements between unions and employers, governments have to legislate more.

Therefore one should speak at the same time of national citizenship and wider European citizenship.

We will have to create an avant-garde.... We could have a Union for the enlarged Europe, and a Federation for the avant-garde.