Latest Wolfgang Schauble Quotes from Interviews

Quotes about:

• You cannot form a community of countries of different strength without a certain amount of equilibrium. That is reflected in, for example, the EU budget and the bailout programs. That is why there are net payers and net recipients in Europe. A community cannot exist if the stronger do not take responsibility for the weaker.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Responsibility, Community

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Treaties exist so that they will be adhered to. It only serves to strengthen euroskepticism when we constantly make promises and reach agreements that we do not adhere to.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Promise

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• We in Germany could, for example, lower taxes. And who is against that? The Social Democrats.
  We could also mobilize more private investments for public infrastructure projects liken the construction of highways. But the Social Democrats also reject this, even though they are at times similar to others abroad in their carping about the surplus. Incidentally, some of the consequences of the good economic situation are strong increases in wages, rising pensions and a strong labor market.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Strong, Construction, Investment

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• We in Europe need to discuss how we can improve the community. That is the correct order.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Community

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• If there are possibilities for strengthening investments, they will not fail because of us. Emmanuel Macron is right when he says that we need to do more and talk less.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Failing, Investment, Possibility

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Emmanuel Macron wants to see changes in France and we support him in that. Macron has proven his courage by leading an election campaign friendly to Europe and reform against the majority opinion of the Socialist Party.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Party, Support, Friendly

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• For Martin Schulz, the chancellor candidate for the center-left Social Democrats, friendly wishes don't go far enough. He would like to see much more enthusiastic support for Emmanuel Macron than that shown by Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose comments so far have tended to be reserved. As she put it, she doesn't see a need to change her policies because of Macron.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Support, Wish, Friendly

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Emmanuel Macron wants a stronger Europe, just as the chancellor and I do. I was impressed that the new president climbed onto the stage in front of the Louvre to the sound of the European anthem after his election victory. That was a very powerful symbol. It is very clear: Macron is our ally.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Powerful, Victory, President

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• If we want to make Europe stronger, then each country first has to ensure that it becomes stronger itself. This applies to Italy and France, and it applies to Germany as well. Subsequently, we in Europe need to discuss how we can improve the community. That is the correct order.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Community, Stronger

  Source: m.spiegel.de

• The goal of European unification can only be achieved if everyone participates, perhaps with exceptions in some areas. Not all countries are part of monetary union, and not all are in the Schengen area. But the fundamental goal should be to keep everyone on board.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Goal, Exception

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Europe has grown through crises. Each crisis also presents opportunities, and Europe has emerged stronger from each one. That is the way history unfolds. Europe is sometimes slow, and it reacts sluggishly, but it is capable of finding solutions.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Opportunity, Stronger, Sometimes

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Britain is economically very closely integrated with its European partner countries. Were these ties to be cut, it would be a huge step backwards for the country and would weaken it considerably. In the era of globalisation, "splendid isolation" is not a smart option.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Smart, Cutting

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Our balanced budget has an important psychological function. It is a signal that we can't continue to constantly take on debt.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Important, Debt, Psychological

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• The significant collapse of oil prices shows that it was previously way too high.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Oil, Way, Significant

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• We are facing a whole collection of crisis-like developments that we have to watch closely. But we also have to be careful what we point to as crisis indicators.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Development, Watches, Crisis

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• In China, it was always said that a double-digit rate of growth would be dangerous. Now, the country has a growth rate of 6.9 percent and suddenly that is supposed to be a catastrophe for the global economy.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Growth, Would Be

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I don't know how many resolutions from the IMF or G-20 we have already written saying that such [financial] reforms are necessary for new growth.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Growth, Reform, Imf

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• It has been clear for some time now that we have to do more for domestic and external security. I am prepared for that.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Clear, Prepared, Has Beens

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• At the moment we are facing a whole collection of difficult to forecast developments from the situation in China and the oil-price crash to the worrying news from some banks in Europe and the US. All of that is linked: Worldwide company debt is high and there is a lot of money in circulation. That is why necessary structural reforms are not being made.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Europe, Oil, Worry

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I think we will have to spend more on defense, for infrastructure, for extension of the broadband network and also for domestic security.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Thinking, Defense, Infrastructure

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• It is clear to us that we will have to become more involved in our neighboring regions so that the migration pressures aren't so high there. Of course the budget negotiations will be difficult, as they always are.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Migration, Pressure, Negotiation

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I suggested that countries with tighter finances think about such a [fuel] tax. We don't have the time at the moment for months of discussion.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Thinking, Fuel

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• In the EU, we agree that the pressures causing migration must be reduced.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Migration, Pressure, Agree

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• If the Schengen system (of border-free travel) is destroyed, Europe will be seriously endangered politically and economically. That is why we Europeans have to invest billions in Turkey, Libya, Jordan and other countries in the region as quickly as possible everybody as much as they can.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Europe, Turkeys

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• We know that the abilities of European Union member states are not infinite. As such, it makes little sense for us to criticize each other.All of us accepted Sweden's decision to introduce border controls too. And that is a country that was for decades the most open to immigration.

  Wolfgang Schauble

  Country, Decision, Immigration

  Source: www.spiegel.de