Keeping quiet and letting the others do the talking. That may be Angela Merkel's method, but it's not mine.

If cooperation among governments were the superior concept for progress in Europe, I'd be onboard immediately. But the problem is that cooperation isn't working.

I believe that the majority of people in Europe want to demonstrate solidarity with the refugees.

In political life, it is extremely difficult to remain loyal to a friendship when constellations of power or interests are in the way.

France is ready for a European revolution and it is Germany that is pulling the brakes. For a long time, it was the other way around. You don't have to agree with the details of every single one of Emmanuel Macron's suggestions, but he's right about the idea of a new foundation of Europe. Europe's Social Democrats have long demanded this. If we really want to, we can create a different, better Europe in the coming years.

The claim made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that the refugee question is a German problem is incorrect. It is a European problem.

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