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

If the law does not give you what you want, you can oppose the law, you can work to change the law, but you cannot ignore the law. So it is fundamental that the constitutions of every one of our member states are upheld and respected.

Plastic waste is undeniably a big issue, and Europeans need to act together to tackle this problem because plastic waste ends up in our air, our soil, our oceans, and in our food.

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'm from Limburg, near the German border.

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.

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

Being part of the E.U. in Poland means that for the first time in a millennium, nobody disputes Poland's borders, and it brought a level of freedom that Poland has never known before.

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.

For me, arguably, the European Parliament is the best-functioning European institution. They are extremely good at law-making; they're extremely good at finding compromise under pressure.

The Netherlands believes in a vigorous Europe with a commission that is independent and robust.

Europeans distrust a Europe that overpromises and underdelivers.

The Treaty of Lisbon gave the European parliament a stronger role as co-legislator and the European Council its own president. Furthermore, the treaty introduced checks on subsidiarity - the concept that decisions should be taken as close as possible to the citizens - in an effort to cut back on unnecessary rules and regulations.

The U.K. is leaving the E.U. but not Europe.

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.

The main actors on the world stage are the size of continents, be they nation states or voluntary groupings of nation states such as the E.U. Nostalgia can help us ignore these harsh realities for a while, but it will not make them go away.

Since when is politics consistent?

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.

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.

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.

How many millions of straws do we use every day across Europe? I would have people not use plastic straws any more.

Look at what the divisiveness of Brexit has done to the U.K.

I want Europe to go forward, not backward.

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

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

Public support will dwindle if the public thinks that free movement means undermining of social security systems... we need to get that right.

While, of course, you cannot discriminate between nationals of member states, access to the labour market does not mean automatic access to social security systems.

There's a myth that in Arab countries, they all like Palestinians. They don't. On the contrary.

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.

It has become routine for national politicians to blame Europe. When something works, they claim it as their success. When something doesn't work, then Europe is to blame.

My parents married in 1959 and came to Amsterdam on honeymoon. That was a huge thing, event, for them. Now my children fly off for the weekend to Riga, Prague, or Barcelona.