We have the force, the energy, and the determination, and we will not give in to fear.

You need basically some accountability rules, which means democratic checks and balances at the euro zone level, and definitely, you have to increase convergence in terms of taxes, in terms of social affairs and so on.

Really, creation and innovation are part of the French DNA.

I am a newcomer. I want to remain a newcomer. That is my DNA.

As to the euro zone avant-garde, it must go towards more solidarity and integration: a common budget, a common borrowing capability, and fiscal convergence.

Leaving the E.U. would mean the 'Guernseyfication' of the U.K., which would then be a little country on the world scale. It would isolate itself and become a trading post and arbitration place at Europe's border.

I'm a child of provincial France.

If I was British, I would vote resolutely 'remain' because it's in the U.K.'s interest.

I want to be the president of all the people of France, for the patriots facing the threat of nationalism.

If the U.K. wants a commercial access treaty to the European market, the British must contribute to the European budget like the Norwegians and the Swiss do. If London doesn't want that, then it must be a total exit.

What we need is much more flexibility for the labour markets.

The refugee crisis is a challenge for the whole of Europe, and Europe - it's a very fair point to say it's not just a security issue. It's also an economic issue.

If people do not believe in Europe and in the euro area, it must be dismantled.

I learned the life of business, commerce - it's an art.

The best way to afford a suit is to work.

We need to restore democracy and sovereignty in Europe.

Sovereignty is not just at the national level; that's the mistake of Brexit that other people make.

If approval was a criterion in this country, nothing would ever get done.

Honesty compels me to say that I am not a socialist. But so what?

The functioning of our society is in a certain way sclerotic.

De facto, you have a multi-speed Europe. You look at the Schengen, you look at the euro zone, all this kind of cooperations, you have a multi-speed Europe.

What we need is a common goal for more Europe.

France is back.

The doctors, whether based in Brussels or Paris, draw the same conclusions and write the same prescriptions.

Europe's younger generation has only experienced austerity.

We have a huge responsibility to make sure that Europe remains a prosperous and peaceful continent.

A romantic or classical view of the French approach would have been to say, 'It's a French company; let no one attack it. Let's block any merger. But the reality is Alcatel-Lucent is not a French company; it's a global company. Its main markets are China and the U.S. Its ownership is foreign; most of its managers aren't French.

I want France to become the European hub for R&D.

The financial passport is part of full access to the E.U. market, and a precondition for that is the contribution to the E.U. budget. That has been the case in Norway and in Switzerland. That is clear.

We have the eurozone. Could we accept to be cleared, regulated, and de facto have inflows and outflows from a country that has decided to leave the E.U.? For me, definitely not.

We have to be extremely strict on the implementation of Brexit so there is a common approach between member states. We must avoid a sector-by-sector or country-by-country approach, and ask the U.K. to be clear.

We back Hinkley Point project. It's very important for France; it's very important for the nuclear sector and EDF.

I kept trying, proposing, pushing... If you want to succeed, you cannot leave work half done, and unfortunately, many things were left half done. The choice was made not to launch a second wave of economic reforms that I was proposing.

Popularity isn't an objective in itself. I'm not in this game.

I'm not a movie star, and I don't want to become a movie star.

We need young Frenchmen who want to become billionaires.

We've created rigidities at the entrance point in artisanal occupations.

You can suddenly have a series of countries waking up and saying, 'I want the same status as the Brits,' which will be, de facto, the dismantling of the rest of Europe.

We should not replicate the situation where one country is in a situation to hijack the rest of Europe because they organize a referendum.

You need a debate and a vote on the principles: Do you want more Europe or less Europe? Do you believe we are more efficient with defense and security with Europe, or not? Do you believe we are more efficient for our companies with or without Europe? Those are the questions we have to discuss and push our people to vote on it.

Even if the Brits decide to remain, we will have to avoid a contagion on other countries.

I have a vision of my country, and I cannot sit and watch things pass by.

We have a lack of growth in Europe, in eurozone, and in France, and we are struggling hard to recover and restore this growth.

E.U. is the first global domestic market.

We have to breathe new life into Europe.

To think that our political organisation is immutable is the best way to hand the country over to the extremes.

When you discuss your steel industry with China you are credible because you are part of the E.U., not because you are just U.K. You will be completely killed otherwise. You will never be in the situation to negotiate face to face with the Chinese because your domestic market is not relevant for the Chinese in comparison with their domestic market.

My priority is my economy minister mandate and to create momentum.

I am from the Left, but I am happy to work with people from the Right.

In a common project, we can bring together well-meaning people from the Left and the Right.