Jean-Pierre Raffarin

"Let them be reassured, it has never been one of our intentions to ban religion in society, but solely to protect the national education system from any conspicuous display of religious affiliation."

"It's a different outlook, and one that I understand. When you are a former member of the Warsaw Pact, when you have lived behind the Berlin Wall, when you have experienced the communist systems that existed in these countries, for them, the West represents hope."

"I think that the proposed constitution is one of the European legal documents with the strongest social dimension I have seen since I began following European issues."

"France has a very important relationship with Germany. But that does not mean that we agree about everything or that two of our universities or companies are not going to compete."

"What's very important is that we build a space that matters in the world, one that operates according to democratic rules, and that small and large countries enjoy a good relationship."

"Let them be reassured, it has never been one of our intentions to ban religion in society, but solely to protect the national education system from any conspicuous display of religious affiliation."