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.

You can't deepen the European Union against the wishes of the European countries.

I'm not suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I would say that I have a balanced state of mind.

I urge everyone to be patient and reasonable and I warn against shooting from the hip in the truest sense of the term. Pressure and dialogue are needed.

I don't think in national categories. For me it [policy] is about concepts and substance.

My friendship with Martin [Schulz], by contrast, is completely different in that it goes far beyond politics.

In politics, there are different categories of friendship. My friendship with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, for example .