Off the cuff

The total costs of a Greek exit from the eurozone remain much larger than any benefits for the single currency area or for Greece itself.

Sony Kapoor, managing director of Re-Define

15 May 2012

If Greece left the eurozone, the ratings of those sovereigns currently on negative outlook - Cyprus, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Slovenia and Belgium - would be at most immediate risk of a downgrade.

Ed Parker, managing director of sovereigns at Fitch Ratings

11 May 2012

It is not too late. Europe can still emerge stronger from its current economic woes. The EU is changing direction at last.

Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament

9 May 2012

'God lives in France' goes an old saying. No more; these days, he travels between Shanghai and Silicon Valley.

Josef Joffe, fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University

4 May 2012

We view as destructive attempts to politicise sporting events. A successful (Euro 2012) championship will be a victory not for politicians, parties or ideologies, but for all Ukrainians and Poles. Its failure will be a loss for millions.

Ukraine Foreign Ministry

3 May 2012

We Chinese have always had a lot of goodwill towards Europe and there is much I expect to gain from my upcoming visit to the European Union. China and Europe are strategic partners.

Li Keqiang, Chinese vice-premier

2 May 2012

We mustn't allow Greek society to become fascist and nor can parliament host followers of neo-nazism. It's absurd and a pity that people who are despairing and bitter, who are unemployed and have lost their businesses, should be persuaded by such policies.

Evangelos Venizelos, leader of the Greek Pasok party

1 May 2012

On the one hand, the European Commission is telling governments to slash deficits - while on the other, it is demanding more taxpayer money for the EU. To ask for an almost 7 per cent increase is simply out of touch with the real world.

Martin Callanan MEP, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group

25 April 2012

The growing support for Marine Le Pen and increasing loss of trust are consequences of the wrong economic and social policy pursued by France and also by the EU. Instead of solving economic and social problems, the extreme austerity has worsened them.

Hannes Swoboda, president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats group

23 April 2012

The survival of the eurozone now depends on Italy and Spain. They are the countries that are too big to fail - or to rescue.

Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank Group

17 April 2012

The emphasis so far on fiscal austerity, while to a degree necessary for the countries facing market funding difficulties, is excessive when carried out across the board, and has already contributed to a steep contraction in domestic demand in the euro area as a whole.

Charles Dallara, head of the Institute of International Finance

11 April 2012

Germany's February industrial production figures have brought further signs that the former engine of the eurozone recovery has gone sharply into reverse. Industry will now act as a serious drag on overall GDP in Q1, making it very likely that Germany entered a technical recession.

Jonathan Loynes, chief European economist at Capital Economics

5 April 2012

It is just plain wrong to say that Europe as a whole has a problem of competitiveness or that we live beyond our means. Just look at our current account, which is, by a small amount, in surplus. In addition, the euro remains and will stay the second reserve currency in the world.

Karel De Gucht, EU trade commissioner

2 April 2012

How can I put this - look, are there days when I think what might have been with the EU job? Of course, of course.

David Miliband, former EU high representative for foreign affairs candidate

28 March 2012

When Afghanistan is abandoned, it comes back to haunt us eventually. It's not some irrelevant place up in the mountains.

Carl Bildt, Swedish minister for foreign affairs

27 March 2012