Foreign investors like decisiveness; they like clarity. There isn't any confusion about Ireland's corporate tax rate: it is 12.5%. End of story.

COP 21 provides a unique opportunity for the political leaders of this generation to provide lasting foundations for the preservation and sustainability of generations of the future.

For years, Ireland used to have a philosophy of 'Get them in here to invest and develop in Ireland, and this will sort out our problems.' It is good in the sense of building a trade surplus, but we also want to develop what it is that we offer ourselves and that Irish companies export abroad.

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

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

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

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.

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

We have to breathe new life into Europe.

E.U. is the first global domestic market.

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

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

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

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.

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

We need young Frenchmen who want to become billionaires.

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

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

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.

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

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 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.