Contrary to what people say, my wife never turned me away from the presidency. She told me to reflect on it and do what I wanted.

We have to struggle against the conservatives from all sides, not only the right-wingers, but also the left-wing conservatives who don't want to change anything.

...within ten years 80% of our economic legislation, perhaps even fiscal and social as well' would come from the EU.

Any union that can't accept workers choosing their own representatives through universal franchise is finished.

The European model is, first, a social and economic system founded on the role of the market, for no computer in the world can process information better than the market.

I would not be opposed to devising a new system of pensions, in which one part was based on collective provision, but which also gave incentives for people to take out an additional, personal plan.

The problem of how we finance the welfare state should not obscure a separate issue: if each person thinks he has an inalienable right to welfare, no matter what happens to the world, that's not equity, it's just creating a society where you can't ask anything of people.