Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I'm a firm believer in the monetary union.
We need more personnel within our security agencies.
Many things can happen very quickly in times of crisis.
I think there will be no government bankruptcy in Greece.
I would wish for more British involvement in Europe, not less.
The presidency of the Euro group is an interesting and important task.
In the EU, we agree that the pressures causing migration must be reduced.
Mr. Geithner is an excellent minister. We have a good personal relationship.
Europe should speak more effectively and clearly with one voice in the world.
The significant collapse of oil prices shows that it was previously way too high.
If you live beyond your means and have to restructure as a result, you pay a price.
Crisis and pressure help foster change - that's why I'm not so pessimistic towards crises.
If you are prepared to run for public office, you also have to be willing to accept a debate about you.
We cannot allow the bankruptcy of a euro member state like Greece to turn into a second Lehman Brothers.
My job is not to predict everything that might happen in the future, but to address what we can do today.
I don't want to change Islam, but if there is to be a European Islam, it must incorporate European values.
My private financial situation is such that I don't need to worry about my investments. I don't have much to invest.
You can lead a happy life if you recognize that it's limited and completely unpredictable from one moment to the next.
It's understandable that Europe's Muslims are in a difficult situation, which is partly their own doing and partly not.
It has been clear for some time now that we have to do more for domestic and external security. I am prepared for that.
Those who constantly qualify everything and have no opinions of their own are ultimately just as incapable of tolerance.
Politics means competition, especially in senior positions. If you don't know that, you're not especially suited to politics.
Our balanced budget has an important psychological function. It is a signal that we can't continue to constantly take on debt.
I can't think of many other laws we might need. For now, though, we'll be talking to German Muslims over issues of coexistence.
By preventing new conflicts, we avert the causes of radicalization and the risk of terrorist attacks in Europe, including in Germany.
I think we will have to spend more on defense, for infrastructure, for extension of the broadband network and also for domestic security.
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.
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.
Most of the mosques were built in our cities in recent years because Turkish citizens in those neighborhoods feel a growing need for places to pray.
I don't want to interpret the pope's words, especially as I am one of those horrible people who fell away from the Roman church after Martin Luther.
Even when one is doing well, one still worries that things might go badly again in the future. This is an old observation based on human experience.
If you make the state responsible for everything, you shouldn't be surprised when you end up with a state that bears some resemblance to a dictatorship.
The United States lived on borrowed money for too long, inflating its financial sector unnecessarily and neglecting its small and mid-sized industrial companies.
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.
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.
Religion teachers for Islam instruction are being trained now in Münster and Erlangen. This has to happen quickly. My goal is to achieve relevant results within two years.
If the conflict in Lebanon continues, the risk of attacks will grow. This is why we must contribute to a joint (international) responsibility and help secure peace in Lebanon.
A number of politicians, including those within your own party, believe Germans would be safer if the German military didn't insert itself into so many of the world's hot spots.
There are several silver linings on the horizon. The current account deficits in Spain and Portugal are declining because they have become more competitive and they're exporting more.
We will not be able to meet the challenges of integration and the threats posed by international terrorism. If we want to prevent attacks, we'll need more information and better integration.
During the centuries-long process of Reformation and Enlightenment, Christian churches had to accept some things they didn't like. Islam will have to do the same; otherwise it isn't part of Europe.
The German export successes are not the result of some sort of currency manipulation, but of the increased competitiveness of companies. The American growth model, on the other hand, is in a deep crisis.
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.
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.
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.
In the long term, Germany didn't need a finance minister who was absent during important negotiations in the European Council. But the chancellor strongly encouraged me to stay. And everything did work out for the best in the end.
We were always faced with questions like: What about a religious community like Milli Görüs, which is represented by the Islamic Council? And what about the Central Council of Muslims? But we don't wish to exclude people from the start.
Greece's debts are all denominated in euros, but it isn't clear who holds how much of those debts. For that reason, the consequences of a national bankruptcy would be incalculable. Greece is just as systemically important as a major bank.
If we were to have a presidential election in Europe it would be an event that would spark a huge interest in people from Lisbon to Helsinki, just like national elections. And it would create a completely different political setting in Europe.
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.