Quotes from Frans Timmermans

Given the amount of money circulating in the sport, European taxpayers and supporters are entitled to know how their clubs are being managed.

We need a tough approach to make justice prevail and, also, because sports should not be damaged by the violence of hooligans.

One of the principles upon which the E.U. is built is the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary.

I think the E.U. means different things to different countries. In the U.K., traditionally, if you know anything about the U.K.'s history and its relationship with the E.U., it is about the common market; it's about being part of something that is good for jobs and growth.

Europeans distrust a Europe that overpromises and underdelivers.

The absolute low point for me in more than 30 years of professional life was the Brexit vote.

The German car industry has a clear vision of the necessity of stability in the continent that goes beyond selling cars. For Germany, the economy is an instrument in a much wider issue of stability in continental Europe and overcoming the mistakes of the past.

I think in Trump's view of the world, when the other person loses, he wins.

Responsible politicians should never indulge in nostalgia - it is too much of a distraction at a time when a rapidly changing world throws up so many challenges, when we need to keep our wits about us.

I believe many people - especially small- and medium-sized enterprises across the European Union - are disenchanted with Europe because we haven't delivered the goods.

Is it not in human nature sometimes, based on the facts that you now know, to reconsider?

If children knew what the effects are of using single-use plastic straws for drinking sodas or whatever, they might reconsider and use paper straws or no straws at all.

If the E.U. is to survive... it is based on the fact that for every community that belongs in Europe, there is a place in Europe.

Protectionism has never been an answer, will never be an answer. We need trade. We need trade agreements worldwide.

As long as U.K. remains member of the E.U., it should respect the E.U. law.

Britain can get far better results if it engages with Europe than standing on the sidelines and saying that Europe should change.

For all its shortcomings, European co-operation and integration has created an understanding of shared destiny. We no longer point guns at each other; we fight it out at a conference table. And we will continue to do so when the U.K. is no longer a member state but, I hope, still a friend.

We need to be able to answer not yesterday's challenges but to tomorrow's challenges.

If you look at European societies since the financial crisis began in 2008, with very, very few exceptions, the differences between rich and poor have increased, and sometimes hugely.

What is the issue that has brought the European Union to the brink? The issue of migration.

I'm just one generation between someone who cheered when Germans were burning and someone who doesn't even know that there is a border. That's a miracle - really is a miracle - and it gets me really emotional.

I think we have a political and moral duty to do everything within our power to maintain the Good Friday Agreement.

Nationalism makes us poor because its Siamese twin, protectionism, will destroy the internal market and disrupt international trade.

The problem with UKIP and the extreme right - Mr. Le Pen, Wilders - they are really good at making an analysis of the problem. And they immediately go completely overboard in providing a solution that would never work and is morally completely unacceptable.