The way some German politicians have lashed out at Greece when the country fell into the crisis has left deep wounds there. I was just as shocked by the banners of protesters in Athens that showed the German chancellor in a Nazi uniform.

I believe neither the French nor the Dutch really rejected the constitutional treaty.

There is a distorted perception of what goes on in Brussels. No one reports on the Commission taking a hundred initiatives from its predecessor off the table in order to shift competencies back to member state governments.

The person who is ahead in the end will have the advantage.

For my generation, the monetary union has always been about forging peace.

We must also take this opportunity to learn from the situation [of Brexit], just as we learned from the refugee and debt crises.

The position of EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs could be combined with the office of Euro Group chairman. That job would be a great challenge for anyone who assumed it. On the one hand, he would have to make proposals. On the other hand, he would have to negotiate compromises with his European counterparts.