Off the cuff

I fear a politicisation of the exchange rate, and I saw indications of that in Japan, but you could as well refer to recent statements by European politicians not too far from here.

Jens Weidmann, president of the Deutsche Bundesbank

15 February 2013

We sell more to North Rhine-Westphalia than to India, and more to France and Germany than to the whole of the Commonwealth added together. And incidentally, overall,
we export four times as much to Europe as to the US.

Sir John Major, former UK prime minister

14 February 2013

The European External Action Service has come through a tough start to help the European Union speak with a clear voice on issues like Iran's nuclear programme.

Adam Hug, Foreign Policy Centre think-tank

12 February 2013

We commend Pope Benedict XVI for his decision, his goodness and his commitment to promoting our common values of peace, freedom and tolerance all over the world. We also thank him for his faith in the concept of solidarity, not only between nations but also within nations.

Joseph Daul MEP, European People's Party group chairman

11 February 2013

This (EU budget) is a dud deal, which is already out of date because the debate in Britain has moved on from EU reform to EU exit. Factoring in that the president of the European Parliament has said he will not sign this agreement, there is little to crow about here.

Nigel Farage, UKIP leader

8 February 2013

It is in the party DNA to be pro-Europe and pro-reform, so it is not being discussed much. The Labour Party is not Eurosceptic. Instead, there is a recognition that social democrats need to be hard-headed reformers.

David Miliband, former UK foreign secretary

7 February 2013

We value our essential relationship with the UK, as well as our relationship with the EU - which makes critical contributions to peace, prosperity and security in Europe, and around the world. We believe the UK is stronger as a result of its membership.

Joe Biden, US Vice-President

4 February 2013

I can't really believe David Cameron thinks it's sensible to get out of Europe. If Britain did vote to go out, it would be a huge problem for our country. Why would we separate ourselves from the biggest political union and the largest business market in the world?

Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister

3 February 2013

Once you have state funding, someone has to decide who qualifies. Either you end up funding these extreme parties or you end up arbitrarily putting in the hands of their opponents the decision of who qualifies and who doesn't.

Daniel Hannan, British Conservative Party MEP

30 January 2013

I know who to call (in Europe now) but I don't know what answer I will get.

Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State

25 January 2013

It reminds me a bit of the Mel Brooks comedy, Blazing Saddles, where the sheriff holds a gun to his own head and says at one point, 'If you don't do what I want, I'll blow my brains out'. You want to watch that one of the 26 don't just say, go ahead.

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair comments on David Cameron's EU referendum pledge

23 January 2013

Hopefully the economic situation of the euro area will allow us to meet at normal hours, not very, very early in the morning.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, Eurogroup president and Dutch finance minister

22 January 2013

I deplore the lack of progress towards a common European defence strategy and so clearly demonstrated by the EU's reaction to the situation in Mali and indeed Libya before that. In these times of austerity, pooling our military resources make a lot of sense.

Guy Verhofstadt, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe leader

17 January 2013

It's clearly the case that investors are returning to the eurozone, and resuming confidence in that market.

Christine Lagarde, IMF managing director

14 January 2013

Let me be absolutely clear on this, the jury is still out. It's too early to claim success.

Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank

10 January 2013