We all have to accept accusations that we ignored the refugee crisis for far too long. The first time that I referred to the Mediterranean Sea as Europe's cemetery was in October 2013, when hundreds of people drowned off Lampedusa. Italians, Maltese, Greeks and Spaniards have been pleading for help for years. But nobody cared.

I firmly believe that the inequity [in society] is enormous. The people have the feeling that you are allowed to do anything if you are rich. But if you're poor, you have to pay. We [Europeans] have to counter this.

In the days before the vote, I bet that the British would stay in the EU.

People who work hard for their money cannot be placed in a worse position that those who allow their money to work for them.

Europe was founded as a community bound together by solidarity.

[Helmut] Kohl said Europe must return to being a community committed to stability and the rule of law.

Having a place to live is a fundamental right and the state must establish a framework that ensures that apartments are affordable.