European policy is always an interplay of rationality and emotion.

In 2003, Helmut Schmidt said: Predatory capitalism exists, we have to civilize it and we can do that via Europe. He was right. We haven't tried hard enough.

Primary responsibility for Brexit lies with British conservatives, who took an entire continent hostage.

In all of my encounters with voters, I have repeatedly been confronted with two points of critique. First: You politicians are all the same! Second: You politicians may be speaking German, but we still don't understand you!

Turkey has in interest in finding agreement on more permissive visa requirements, it wants to be recognized as a safe country of origin and it wants to finally return to constructive EU accession negotiations. We Europeans decide all of those things together.

I would never attack somebody only because they belong to a different party.

The problem with us EU politicians is that we approach everything with cool rationality, and then wonder why we don't win people over emotionally.