John Bruton

“U.S. companies rely on the European market for more than half of their global foreign profits.”

“Ireland has a role to play in making the E.U. united and strong.”

“Financial service providers act as the lubricating oil in the economy. They link consumers who want to invest their savings for a good return with companies who want to borrow on best terms for expansion.”

“The E.U. is the world's fastest growing democratic body.”

“U.S. companies earn more from their investments in the EU than in the rest of the world combined.”

“States can be deterred by the fear of retaliation; non-state organisations cannot by deterred at all.”

“Indeed, American companies make three times as much profits from their investment in one E.U. country, Ireland, than they do from all their investments in China.”

“It is not viable for one country to demand a right to increase and upgrade its nuclear weapons capabilities while asking others to eliminate theirs.”

“Proliferation of nuclear weapons to terrorist organisations is far more dangerous than proliferation of nuclear weapons to states, even states like North Korea.”

“But our system of regulation must keep up with this. If it fails to keep up, it will hold back economic expansion. We need financial market regulation that works at national and European level.”

“The economy is not an abstraction. The economy consists of people, and it will only grow if people feel secure and are reasonably free.”

“One cannot have economic growth without security.”

“Non-proliferation will only work if all states are willing to cooperate, and that will only happen if all feel they are being treated fairly.”

“The EU and the U.S. often work together to develop international standards. This is the case in fighting terrorism and transnational crime, advancing trade liberalization, and combating piracy and intellectual property violations.”

“That's where my job comes in. Getting the E.U. and U.S. to agree.”

“The U.S. - E.U. economic relationship dwarfs America's economic ties with China.”

“The E.U. has moved to combat global terrorism by instituting common European arrest and evidence warrants and creating a joint situation center to pool and analyze intelligence.”

“A terrorist nuclear detonation in a western city would destroy all economic confidence.”

“The E.U. is more than just a trade organization or a common market; it is a guarantee of democracy, freedom, justice, and human rights. Nations cannot stay in the E.U. if they do not respect these guarantees.”

“The E.U. imports more agricultural goods from developing countries around the world than does the U.S., Canada and Japan, combined.”