Margaret Thatcher Quotes

We see nothing but good and hope in a richer, freer, more contented European commonalty. But we have our own dreams and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked, but not comprised. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed.

We Europeans will always have two fatherlands. One is Europe, and the other is our own country. It is unified in its diversity—this Europe.

All these nations and peoples of Europe and Asia will insist upon their independence and their own cultures.

The United States, of course, is determined to diversify Europe to such an extent that it becomes a meaningless entity.

And why should we, of all people, expect the proud new developing nations to see the world precisely as we see it? Was any new nation ever more outspoken, independent and unaligned than the young America of Jefferson, Jackson, and Lincoln?

Any people has a right to self-determination, and now in Europe the process of diluting national sovereignty in the framework of a united Europe is more accepted.

There can be no perfect Europe in which Ireland is denied even the least of its national rights.

The idea that you surrender your identity when you relinquish national powers is unhelpful. No, indeed, precisely the opposite is the case: if done in an intelligent way, you attain the sovereignty to better solve national problems in cooperation with others.

The Serbian people certainly will never be an obstacle for the Montenegrins to have their own country.

The glue that binds the EU together is not a shared identity but shared projects.

It [the EEC] would mean the end of Britain as an independent nation state … the end of a thousand years of history.

The EU aspired to transcend nation-states, but its fatal flaw has been its consistent failure to recognize the persistence of national differences and the importance of addressing threats on its frontiers. One consequence of this oversight has been the rise of political parties that aim to restore national autonomy, often by appealing to far-right, populist, and sometimes xenophobic sentiments

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.

Europe is my home, Europe is my continent. Europe is where we live. The European Union is a political bureaucratic organization that took away our identity and our national sovereignty. So, I would get rid of the European Union and be a nation-state again.

If you ask the Polish people, I believe that a vast majority of them would say they are pleased with E.U. membership, but also a majority consider very highly the sovereignty and independence of Poland - they are very attached to Polish tradition.

We are in Europe, and we want a Europe that does few things and does them well, one that recognizes people's identities, languages, etc.

Every country has its own diplomacy. Being part of Europe doesn't mean giving up one's independence or no longer being able to take the initiative.

No people without a government of their own can expect to be treated on the same level as people of independent sovereign states. It is far better to be free to govern or misgovern yourself than to be governed by anybody else . . .

Peace and solidarity in Europe is not a law of nature. It requires caring, effort and perseverance

Europe can only hold together and stand together, which is very important in times of migration challenges, terrorism challenges, if each country takes responsibility for itself.

The States are separate and independent sovereigns. Sometimes they need to act like it.

A day will come when all nations on our continent will form a European brotherhood... A day will come when we shall see... the United States of America and the United States of Europe face to face, reaching out for each other across the seas.

A democratic Europe of nation states could be a force for liberty, enterprise and open trade. But, if creating a United States of Europe overrides these goals, the new Europe will be one of subsidy and protection

We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked, but not comprised. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed. And should European statesmen address us in the words which were used of old — “Shall I speak for thee to the King or the Captain of the host?” — we should reply with the Shunamite woman: “Nay, Sir, for we dwell among our own people.”

Europe was founded as a community bound together by solidarity.