France isn’t just any country in Europe, and its president is not an ordinary leader in the world. Sometimes directing or leading the way is not enough, he has to initiate policies, as Nicolas Sarkozy was able to demonstrate during his term. – Francois Hollande
I attach the greatest importance to an amplification of the peace efforts in the Middle East. I would also like to see a greater dialogue between the U.S. and the EU. – Francois Hollande
Is France a northern European export powerhouse, or a Mediterranean indebted and dependent economy? Yes to both. – Francois Hollande
France is the bridge between northern Europe and southern Europe. I refuse any division. If Europe has been reunified, it’s not for it to then fall into egotism or ‘each for one’s own’. Our duty is to set common rules around the principles of responsibility and solidarity. – Francois Hollande
I don’t like indecent, unearned wealth. But it is legitimate for an entrepreneur who has created something to make a good living. – Francois Hollande
The British people have decided to leave. It is a sad decision but one which I respect. The vote puts the European Union in difficulties. It must recognise its shortfalls. – Francois Hollande
I think that France has not made it clear enough recently to our German friends how important it is to introduce euro bonds as a tool against speculation. And how the necessary budget discipline needs to be accompanied by growth. – Francois Hollande
France needs to improve training and education and the level of skills of its workforce. – Francois Hollande
I don’t want euro bonds that serve to mutualize the entire debt of the countries in the euro zone. That can only work in the longer-term. I want euro bonds to be used to finance targeted investments in future-oriented growth projects. It isn’t the same thing. Let’s call them ‘project bonds’ instead of euro bonds. – Francois Hollande
Being in the European Union has its advantages, and I think that is what the British are beginning to understand, what those who are tempted by the Brexit are going to reflect upon. – Francois Hollande
What is happening in the Sahel for the past several months is that terrorists have structured themselves, have installed themselves. It’s not simply a menace for west Africa. – Francois Hollande
The fight against global warming is a humanitarian issue – how the planet can be preserved – and it is also an issue of considerable economic importance, of what we call green growth. – Francois Hollande
I bow down in memory of the victims, and I come to tell my Armenian friends that we will never forget the tragedies that your people has endured. – Francois Hollande
I don’t know if you can hear me, but I have heard you. I heard your willingness to change. Your force, your hope… and I want to tell you how grateful I am. Thank you, thank you, thank you, people of France. – Francois Hollande
We must not lose time, neither for dealing in a suitable way with the question of the United Kingdom’s exit, nor for providing a new impetus for the E.U. – Francois Hollande
Before you, I engage myself to serve my country with the devotion and the exemplary that this post demands. I understand responsibilities of the job and, as such, I give a republican salute to Nicolas Sarkozy who has led France for 5 years and who deserves all of our respect. – Francois Hollande
If I become president, France will not continue with the same policies as under Nicolas Sarkozy – both in domestic policy and in foreign and European policy. – Francois Hollande
Our enemy in Syria is Daesh: it’s not about containing but destroying this organisation. – Francois Hollande
France is no longer herself when she is folded in on herself, tormented by ignorance and intolerance. The country would plunge into decline if it refused to be itself, if it was afraid of the future, afraid of the world. – Francois Hollande
My real adversary has no name, no face, no party. It will never be elected, yet it governs – the adversary is the world of finance. – Francois Hollande
Europe needs an engine, and the Franco-German motor has provided that when the two nations have converged on important topics during critical periods. But that partnership shouldn’t be a directorate for other EU members. – Francois Hollande
I am for a clear distinction between public and private life. I believe private matters should be regulated in private and I have asked those close to me to respect this. – Francois Hollande
