I think that the proposed constitution is one of the European legal documents with the strongest social dimension I have seen since I began following European issues.

I tell fundamentalists that there is no question of them attacking our Republic's foundations.

Let them be reassured, it has never been one of our intentions to ban religion in society, but solely to protect the national education system from any conspicuous display of religious affiliation.

There have been major disagreements within the European Union.

I was a Member of the European Parliament for a period of time and I saw a lot of European laws and treaties.

It's a different outlook, and one that I understand. When you are a former member of the Warsaw Pact, when you have lived behind the Berlin Wall, when you have experienced the communist systems that existed in these countries, for them, the West represents hope.

I am a believer, but I affirm that in public buildings the law of the Republic overrides religious rules.