Quotes

«EU is like a giraffe, an animal difficult to define but easy to recognize».
Mark Rutte, prime minister of the Netherlands (Strasbourgs, 13th of June, 2018)

Quotes

«Globalization was mismanaged».
Carlo Calenda, Italian minister of Economic Development (Brussels, 11th of November, 2016)

Quotes

«Global migration will accompany us in the future».
(Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, 19th of September 2016)

About democracy

An extract of dialogue take from the movie "The Majestic". In times where the US authorities declared war to all «non patriots», it appeared clear what democracy is: a regime where only those who stand with the majority's and/or leading class' thought are accepted. The alternative is persecution. Here there are is the spirit of the so called democracy explained in a lucid and brutal way:

«It's their game. You play by their rules, or they'll destroy you».
«I thought this was a democracy».
«The Declaration of Independence? The Constitution? Just pieces of paper with signatures on them. And you know what a signed paper is? A contract. Something that can be renegotiated at any time».

Quotes

«Democracy is not only about parliamentary majority, democracy is about civil society».
(Jean Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, 1st of June 2016)

Quotes

«Free and independent media are essential to a democratic society. Without free and independent media there can't be democracy».
(Margritis Schinas, EU spokespersons chief, 25th of April 2016)

Quotes

«Il y a un probleme vraiment serieux entre les états membre. Il y a un manque de confiance entre les états membres».
(Frans Timmermans, vice-president de la Commission Européene, 15 janvier 2016)

Quotes

«They say "we are going to make a clean sweep". This is not the right-wing politics, this is the cosh. Italians cannot turn to the right-wing politics without falling into cosh».
Indro Montanelli, journalist, in "La domenica di Montanelli" (17th of March, 2001) 

Quotes

«Many things we wanted to achieve haven't been achieved, and many things we wanted to improve have worsened».
Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, in his speech at the high level conference "The persecution of Christians in the world" (Brussels, 1st of December, 2015) 

Quotes

«Growth is not a goal itself, growth is the question of how redistribute wealth».
Alexander de Croo, Belgian minister for Development cooperation (Brussels, 26th of May, 2015)

Quotes

«People who do a good job should be paid fairly and an apprenticeship is a time of education and should not be abused for recruitment of cheap workforce».
Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament (Strasbourg, 12th of March, 2015)

Quotes

«You are mistaken if you think democracy is that one election result can change the way we work in the eurozone» 
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, president of the Eurogroup, during a public hearing in the European Parliament (Brussels, 24th of February 2015)

Quotes - About men and women

«You’re an actress. You see, now I don’t know whether you’re telling lies or telling the truth».
«I could say the same thing to you».
«No, I say it because... Because you’re an actress».
«I said it because you’re a man».
«Ah, touché!»
(dialogue taken from Les temps de l'aventure, France, 2013)

Quotes

«We are discussing about one-two billions difference, we can add them even this morning».
Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy, talking about adjustments required for the stability law (Brussels, 23 October 2014)

Quotes

«No one can deal with the other EU member States as they were just students».
Matteo Renzi, prime minister of Italy (London, 2 October 2014)

Quotes

«"Concrete reactions" wants to be another motto of the Italian presidency of the EU».
Sandro Gozi, Italian under secretary of State for European Affairs (Brussels, 3 September 2014)

Quotes

«Today we see a completely new security situation in Europe, less predictable and more dangerous».
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO secretary general, monthly press conference (Brussels, 19 May 2014)

Quotes

«The demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century».
Vladimir Putin, president of the Russian federation, in his annual state of the nation address to Parliament (Moscow, 25 April 2005)

Quotes

«We all need to pursue our efforts to ensure that all workers, no matter where they are, have the right to work in a safe environment and the possibility to uphold this right in practice».
Laszlo Andor, European Commissioner for Employment, social affairs and inclusion (Brussels, 24 April 2014)

Quotes

«A war between Europeans is a civil war».
Claude-France Arnould, chief executive of European Defence Agency, during EDA annual conference (Brussels, 27 March 2014)