Martin Schulz Quotes

Referendums have always posed a threat when it comes to EU policy, because EU policy is complicated. They're an opportunity for those from all political camps who like to oversimplify things.

The EU is an unique project that replaced war with peace, hate with solidarity. Overwhelming emotion for awarding of Nobel prize to EU

For many people, politics in Brussels and Strasbourg might as well be happening on another planet.

But if you constantly insist only on your own interpretation, it isn't long before it seems patronizing.

I'm not a populist. But I try to present complicated issues in such a way that people know where I stand.

Before we talk about further accessions, we have to consolidate the European Union internally. People are increasingly losing faith in the EU's effectiveness.

I am a man of parliament, a man of the people. I am not a representative of the executives.

I believe that the majority of people in Europe want to demonstrate solidarity with the refugees.

The problem with us EU politicians is that we approach everything with cool rationality, and then wonder why we don't win people over emotionally.

A joint European army is a very far-reaching proposal and it would be difficult to implement. Such initiatives are nevertheless needed.

You can't always be demanding solidarity from others and then refuse to show it yourself.

I believe the people should have the opportunity to have a greater influence on politics with their ideas. We need a new impulse for renewal.

Primary responsibility for Brexit lies with British conservatives, who took an entire continent hostage.

Donald Trump is not just a problem for the EU, but for the whole world.

Referendums are a democratic instrument, but so are decisions reached in a parliamentary democracy. I advise extreme caution when it comes to referendums. In Germany too.

Europe was founded as a community bound together by solidarity.

We must now, in the 21st century, protect democracy, one which rests on fundamental rights for all, regardless of skin color, gender, race or religion. Nothing less than that is at stake.

I'm fully aware that my vision of a European bicameral parliament can't be implemented tomorrow. I'm also not an integration fanatic.

If you say in advance there is going to be a main candidate and then that doesn't count later, then that's going to be a highly problematic occurrence in a democracy.

My worry is that Donald Trump may inspire copycats, also in Europe. That's why I hope Hillary Clinton wins.

Britain, Europe's second largest economy, a member of the G-7 and the UN Security Council, wants to leave the EU. That weakens us and it weakens Britain.

I cannot guarantee people absolute fairness. I can only promise that I will do everything in my power to secure fairness or create a greater degree of fairness.

You have to let the people vote when it comes to a new constitution.

Keeping quiet and letting the others do the talking. That may be Angela Merkel's method, but it's not mine.

Turkey is doing an enormous amount in the refugee question, but it can't continue to pay for everything by itself. That is why we have to talk to Turkey about money.

There are surely people in London who would love to play us off against each other. That would be disastrous for the EU.

Refugees cost us money too when they come to us. If we improve their living conditions in Turkey, we create an incentive for them to stay there and not to place their fates in the hands of smugglers.

My mother's brother was killed while clearing mines in 1945. Those are things that mark your childhood and they help explain why we are so devoted to European unity.

Complementing the nation-state as it reaches its limits amid globalization: That is what Europe must offer.

I believe it is wrong to give Moscow a rebate on Ukraine sanctions because of Syria.

In the days before the vote, I bet that the British would stay in the EU.

Political leaders need to formulate long-term EU goals that show: Yes, we want to stay together.

We are living through an epochal shift. If we aren't careful, the elementary foundations of our pluralistic democracy will be threatened.

We have to engage in a dialogue with Donald Trump because he is the elected president of the United States of America. But we have to emphatically oppose his foreign policy ideas.

The principles of the SPD have remained the same for 150 years: democracy, human dignity, justice and inclusion. We will never change those principles.

If we no longer judge the content of people's actions, but merely their form, then we are entering dangerous times indeed.

The question of societal fairness is always pertinent.

I try to speak in a manner that allows people to tell me apart from my political adversaries. And I speak in a manner that the people can understand. For me, that isn't populism.

European policy is always an interplay of rationality and emotion.

It's not attractive at the moment to vouch for the European idea. I still do it, because I believe nothing would be better for our continent.

There's no point whining about missed opportunities.

In times of upheaval, people wish for nothing more than composure and sincerity.

I believe that dignified work is a value in itself.

It was a Russian airplane that was bombed over the Sinai Peninsula. When the Russians conduct air strikes on IS, they are doing so because they too are threatened by terror.

The share of wealth held by the minority is much greater than the share held by the majority. We have to draw our own conclusions from that and it has to change.

People who work hard for their money cannot be placed in a worse position that those who allow their money to work for them.

If cooperation among governments were the superior concept for progress in Europe, I'd be onboard immediately. But the problem is that cooperation isn't working.

[Helmut] Kohl said Europe must return to being a community committed to stability and the rule of law.

I have friends in politics who really put the friendship to the test through their behavior.

I take note of the fact that there are a lot of people who appreciate what I do as parliament president, not just within my Social Democratic party group, but also among the conservatives.