My worry is that Donald Trump may inspire copycats, also in Europe. That's why I hope Hillary Clinton wins.

If Merkel has discovered Europe in a beer tent, I can only say: better late than never. Otherwise, it was the height of hypocrisy: The chancellor sat down for a beer with CSU Chairman Horst Seehofer, the man who after the election praised Donald Trump as a very resolute man.

It's not attractive at the moment to vouch for the European idea. I still do it, because I believe nothing would be better for our continent.

We need a big debate in society about how we are going to shape Europe and tame capitalism. A government must provide direction and make concrete proposals. It is one of Angela Merkel's biggest failings that she doesn't do this.

There are surely people in London who would love to play us off against each other. That would be disastrous for the EU.

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.

If we no longer judge the content of people's actions, but merely their form, then we are entering dangerous times indeed.