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.

Prohibiting a visible religious sign, which isn't a manifestation of militancy, would look like a fight against religions.

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.

Europe started out with six countries; three small countries and three large countries.

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.

When I see the cultural diversity that exists today, I feel that we must defend it, and we need Europe, because otherwise we are going to live in a society with a single model, the Anglo-American model.

It's true that the question of Iraq divided Europe.