Latest Jean-Claude Juncker Quotes from Interviews

Quotes about:

• I haven't yet given everything: I am still full of energy. But I wanted to make it clear that I don't have to make unwarranted concessions to national governments or to parliament. I want to avoid the impression that I am doing things just to ensure that I am re-elected. That's not the case. I have had my career.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Energy, Impression

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I assumed office to bring the EU to a point from which there is no going back. Instead, I am having to unwind the EU to a certain extent.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Office, Unwind

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I have a plan. It entails leading to a fair deal and relationship with the British. We will be reasonable, but we will also negotiate firmly and without gullibility. I believe we must come to an agreement for the people of Britain and the people on the Continent, but not under exclusively British terms.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Believe, People, Term

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I like Macron a lot and I very much welcome him - particularly the fact that he made Europe one of the main topics of the election debate.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Welcome, Election, Debate

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Many in Germany are saying that Macron should be helped. That's also how I see it. But Germany cannot solve France's problems. The French president and his government will have to seriously knuckle down in order to pull France out of its slump.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  President, Problem

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I am for it - not to make a threat, but to make clear that decisions that have been made are applicable law, even if you have voted against it. At issue here is European solidarity, which cannot be a one-way street. The traffic has to move in both directions.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Moving, Decision, Solidarity

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Now people are criticizing Europe, the European Commission, Juncker and the whole lot because the distribution of refugees didn't succeed immediately. But you also have to recognize that close to 20,000 refugees have already been redistributed. There are only a few member states that do not want to take part.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  People, Succeed, Criticize

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Angela Merkel did the right thing. Her decision and the extraordinary willingness of the German people to take in refugees conveyed an image of Germany that is still having positive repercussions today. Unfortunately, people in Germany are no longer seeing that.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  People, Decision, Today

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• The Turks know that if they want to join the EU, then they must respect our rules. We are a union of beliefs, not a bunch of squawking chickens. But if we continue talks with Erdogan, that doesn't mean we have to bow down to him.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Mean, Belief

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I am a champion of trans-Atlantic relations and I do not believe there is any other option available to us than working closely together with America - including Canada. There is no other alliance option, but the same is true for the U.S.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Believe, Champion, Together

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• I have no doubt that the U.S., even under Trump, will stick to the mutual defense commitment in the NATO treaty in the event of an emergency. Trump described NATO as being obsolete during his election campaign, but he made clear afterward that he considers the alliance to be an indispensable necessity.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Commitment, Doubt, Election

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Trump knows that he is encountering a complete lack of understanding in Europe, but it's apparent that he's not very impressed by it. My experience, however, has been that American presidents take a greater interest in Europe over the course of their term.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Understanding, President, Interest

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• Trump is a partner for us who cannot be easily categorized. Putting it in the noblest way possible, his understanding of politics is a little different from ours here in Europe. The way he acts forces us Europeans to take on a new responsibility. We are not standing with our backs up against the wall, but, to put it as pithily as the German chancellor has: We can no longer rely on the U.S. the way we could in the past.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Wall, Responsibility, Past

  Source: www.spiegel.de

• The position of EU commissioner for economic and monetary affairs could be combined with the office of Euro Group chairman. That job would be a great challenge for anyone who assumed it. On the one hand, he would have to make proposals. On the other hand, he would have to negotiate compromises with his European counterparts.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Jobs, Hands, Office

  "Europe Will Either Succeed or Fail Together". Interview with Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult, www.spiegel.de. July 16, 2012.

• Decisions can only be reached in Europe if France and Germany agree.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Europe, Decision, Germany

  "Europe Will Either Succeed or Fail Together". Interview with Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult, www.spiegel.de. July 16, 2012.

• I'm convinced that, in the long term, a monetary union includes a joint debt policy under strict, mutually agreed upon conditions.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Long, Debt, Unions

  "Europe Will Either Succeed or Fail Together". Interview with Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult, www.spiegel.de. July 16, 2012.

• You can't have euro bonds without more interconnection among the national budget policies.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Policy, Interconnection, Euro

  "Europe Will Either Succeed or Fail Together". Interview with Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult, www.spiegel.de. July 16, 2012.

• It's important to recognize that we in Europe will either succeed together or fail together.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Europe, Important, Together

  Interview with Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult, www.spiegel.de. July 16, 2012.

• There is a proposal to divide the currency zone into a north and a south euro. There is also the idea of setting up a core monetary union in the middle of Europe. I disapprove of these debates. Instead, we should devote all of our efforts to supplementing the monetary union with a political union.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Europe, Ideas, Effort

  "Europe Will Either Succeed or Fail Together". Interview with Michael Sauga and Christoph Schult, www.spiegel.de. July 16, 2012.

• The use of EU summits to frame political victories or defeats is an annoying habit.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Political, Victory, Use

  Source: icmu.nyc.gr

• I prefer to concentrate on my task of leading Europe to the success that our citizens expect. We have to look forwards now because what is at stake is what makes Europe Europe.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Europe, Tasks, Citizens

  Source: www.businessinsider.com

• Much as I would have liked to respond factually and truthfully to each and every piece of misinformation spread by the Brexit campaign, it was important that I stayed out of the domestic political debate. It was David Cameron's task to win the UK referendum, not ours.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Winning, Political, Important

  Source: www.businessinsider.com

• I have changed the focus of the work of my Commission so that we no longer concern ourselves with trivial details and concentrate on the key issues instead. By doing that, we met a large number of the legitimate demands made by the British people. The Commission really did do everything it could to create the conditions for a positive campaign.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Numbers, Issues, Keys

  Source: www.businessinsider.com

• The good thing about the European Union is that the joint project ultimately benefits all Member States and not just a few.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Benefits, Unions, Joints

  Source: www.businessinsider.com

• As a human being I am personally saddened, as I have a great deal of respect for the large number of British colleagues I have worked with over the years. That is why I personally invested countless hours, days and nights, in negotiating a fair deal for the United Kingdom.

  Jean-Claude Juncker

  Night, Numbers, Years

  Source: www.businessinsider.com