Jean-Claude Juncker Quotes

When the going gets tough, you have to lie.

When it becomes serious, you have to lie.

I'm ready to be insulted as being insufficiently democratic, but I want to be serious ... I am for secret, dark debates.

I believe neither the French nor the Dutch really rejected the constitutional treaty.

I notice with a certain sense of regret that far too many Europeans are returning to a regional and national mindset.

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

It is not acceptable that European Union countries are divided into those who give and those who take.

I am chilled by the realization of how similar circumstances in Europe in 2013 are to those of 100 years ago.

It is not more Europe or less Europe that we need. We need a better Europe.

I am for secret, dark debates.

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

We must go back to teach Europeans to love Europe.

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

You can't deepen the European Union against the wishes of the European countries.

You can consider this carved in stone: I rule out becoming Herman Van Rompuy's successor.

Article 50 governs the exit from the European Union and here there can also be no renegotiation.

God understands more about the financial markets than many who write about them.

The will of the British people must now be put into effect as quickly as possible. Under Article 50 of the EU Treaty the UK must leave the European Union within two years at the latest.

The person who is ahead in the end will have the advantage.

Anyone who believes that the eternal question of war and peace in Europe is no longer there risks being deeply mistaken.

For my generation, the monetary union has always been about forging peace.

I have another explanation [of Brexit]: In its 43 years of EU membership, Britain has never been able to decide whether it wants to fully or only partially belong to the EU.

My main concern is to protect people from detriment.

After 30 years in Brussels, I can tell you: The relationship between the Commission and the Parliament has probably never been as good as it is now.

I'm not deaf and the Commission isn't operating in a parallel world of legal texts.

Greece is not a country that can be humiliated. It is a matter of finding an intersection between the reasonable elements of both sides [EU and Greece] which has to be done.

Stories are invented: Juncker wants to introduce the euro everywhere or immediately deepen the EU - although I publicly stated the opposite that same day.

We no longer have the pact from 1997; it was radically amended in 2005 and the Commission is applying this Stability Pact with wisdom and rationality.

The European family may well be anything but perfect.

We do not attract Russian money to Luxembourg with high interest rates.

It is always said that Europe is a project of the elite. That's incorrect.

The problem is: When two governments or institutions in Europe hold differing opinions, it is immediately a crisis.

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

In politics, there are different categories of friendship. My friendship with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, for example .

We can't completely rely on the aberrations of history to explain today's European necessities. Future-related issues are no less pressing.

I urge everyone to be patient and reasonable and I warn against shooting from the hip in the truest sense of the term. Pressure and dialogue are needed.

In the highest government office, you have to be ready to bow out at any time, otherwise you are not a free individual anymore.

I don't think Spain will need any kind of external support.

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

The Luxembourg financial centre is based on several pillars, we are characterised by the breadth of our product range, we are an active participant in the international credit business.

There can be no doubt that, with the United Kingdom, we will lose a very market-oriented voice.

Europe is a democracy and differences of opinion are part of it.

With their charm and legendary sense of humor, the British directly or indirectly paved the way for a large number of European compromises.

Yesterday's shining heroes of Brexit have become the sorrowful heroes of today.

I'm always quite amazed that people in Europe become unnerved when two institutions or two people have different views.

My friendship with Martin [Schulz], by contrast, is completely different in that it goes far beyond politics.

The Greek nation has to be respected. I am not in the camp of those who openly want to humiliate Greece.

From the very beginning Europe has been not only a success story but also a story of success achieved by learning.

[Boris]Johnson, [Nigel] Farage, they are retro-nationalists, not patriots. Patriots don't abandon ship when the going gets tough. They stay on board.

I put my money on Brexit. The EU Financial Stability Commissioner, Jonathan Hill from Britain, still owes me a pound.