After saying yes to Turkey, the EU is having difficulty finding clear and consistent grounds for saying no to other, still more remote candidates - but being in the general vicinity of Europe does seem to be a continuing requirement.
Timothy Garton Ash

As politicians we have to react to the fact that many people do not feel that they can relate to the EU.
Angela Merkel

But we need to show that the EU can modernise itself, can adapt to the needs of its citizens, can take their views into account. That will be our ambition for the UK Presidency.
John Hutton

Commitment and co-operation to overcome barriers and difficulties, and determination to achieve the standards of the EU as well as NATO membership, are and have always been the principal target.
Alfred Moisiu

Croatia did not want Europe to be divided as to the start of Croatia's EU entry talks.
Stjepan Mesic

Globalisation, which benefits only multi-national companies and takes away all sense of local or national pride and identity, is the biggest threat facing all the member states of the EU.
Steve Blake

Having decisions made not in midnight deals but in the light of objective evidence and after consulting those who will be affected should itself provide some reassurance that the EU is trying to reform itself.
John Hutton

I do not share the half-in, half-out attitude to the EU of some in Britain. Britain's place is in Europe.
Peter Mandelson

I have also been saddened, though hardly surprised, by the weakness of the EU's reaction to the criminal attack on the Danish embassy in Syria, which seems to have been permitted, if not actively encouraged, by the Syrian regime.
Timothy Garton Ash

I think that the EU with the Lisbon agenda has put the right emphasis on growth and employment.
Angela Merkel

If the EU and the US can cooperate successfully on regulating financial markets, everyone else will follow.
John Bruton

It is a mystery why any Americans would support the concept of the EU.
Phyllis Schlafly

More than 50% of significant new regulations that impact on business in the UK now emanate from the EU.
John Hutton

My vision is that our country should be integrated in the EU, to transfer a part of our independence there. It is also our duty to do it, if we want to establish trade and a sound economy. This is the vision that I am working on and I will continue to work in the future.
Ibrahim Rugova

My vision is to have an independent Kosovo, democratic, with a politically tolerant society and with a solid economy, integrated into the EU, the NATO and to continue with our good relations with the USA.
Ibrahim Rugova

NATO and the EU have also agreed on permanent arrangements on consultation and cooperation between themselves.
Lord Robertson

Of course the EU and member states must work to ensure that people moving from one country to another understand their obligations and their rights in areas like health, road safety and further education.
John Bruton

Of course, the EU is not going to fall apart, but at best it will stagnate for the foreseeable future and we will be dealing with quite a lot of internal chaos.
Peter Mandelson

Our objective must therefore be to ensure EU better regulation contributes towards delivering a modern European Union which relentlessly focuses on building a dynamic and innovative economy equipped to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
John Hutton

The EU and the U.S. often work together to develop international standards. This is the case in fighting terrorism and transnational crime, advancing trade liberalization, and combating piracy and intellectual property violations.
John Bruton