We already have a federation. The 11, soon to be 12, member States adopting the euro have already given up part of their sovereignty, monetary sovereignty, and formed a monetary union, and that is the first step towards a federation.

We already have a federation. The 11, soon to be 12, member States adopting the euro have already given up part of their sovereignty, monetary sovereignty, and formed a monetary union, and that is the first step towards a federation.

Germany is to be contained from outside and heterogenized from the inside by influx, 'diluted' so to speak.

I never use the concept, multipolar. I use multilateral. Because we have only one global power: whether you like it or not, this is the United States.

An enlarged Union based on Nice is not in the interest of any Member State ... This is not a threat. This is a messenger delivering news.

With the arrival of the refugees in 2015, it became impossible to ignore that the period of uninterrupted sunshine that Germany had enjoyed had come to an end. The vast problems of the 21st century are knocking on our door. That is also true of the dramatic changes that we can see globally, for example with Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. You can't win people over by saying nothing and biding your time, as Angela Merkel has tried to do. People want leadership - in the best sense of the term.

We had to move forward after the war and see the realities.