Peter Mandelson Quotes (141 Quotes)

The responsibility rests squarely with the EU and their ability to come forward with an offer on agriculture.

I always hesitate to use the term make-or-break, but I think next week will determine whether we can get into the position of making Hong Kong a success or not.

The Union had to take urgent action. It's not a question of the commission not understanding the ordering cycle. When you take trade defense measures there is no ideal time.

For too long, decisions have been taken behind closed doors - tablets of stone have simply been past down to people without bothering to involve people, listen to their views or give them information about what we are doing and why.

Trade and investment relations between Russia and the EU are strengthening all the time, ... Our job is to make those relations as easy as possible, to remove unnecessary barriers.

Its a disappointing to me to see so many friends I have and people I know in the Democratic Party turning their back on free trade, ... The Democratic free-traders seem to have taken to the hills and unfortunately they seem to be dragging a number of Republicans behind them.

All of us together will have to put figures on the reduction of distorting subsidies, as well as the elimination and disciplining of export refunds or other export competition mechanisms, ... That includes putting dates on the phasing out of agriculture export subsidies and front-loading them as much as we can.

I understand why the Tories will be gunning for Alastair Campbell because they fear his campaigning skills.

This is a step in the right direction but it is clear more needs to be done. The real problem for African cotton producers is dumping on the world market, resulting from domestic and export subsidies.

The European Union will match -- and indeed go substantially beyond -- the 60 percent cut in the most trade-distorting support proposed by the U.S.,

We are taking another step towards the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement and putting in place the framework for real partnership and cooperation,

If the constitutional treaty is rejected it will be back to square one, just at a time when we want Europe to be a more effective force for good in the world, when we need to buttress ourselves against the pressures and insecurities of globalization.

China has a responsibility (to ensure) that no artificial, unreasonable barriers remain in place to European goods sold to Chinese markets.

I'm a fighter, not a quitter.

The EU will show some further flexibility, indicating how we want to move forward on agriculture.

The markets don't like instability and they don't like uncertainty.

We now need to bring an end to this dispute. For too many years it has poisoned relations between the developing countries that sell bananas to Europe. The EU is faithfully following the roadmap agreed at Doha in 2001. We are confident that the WTO arbitrators will recognize this.

The idea that such a brutal dictator as Pinochet should be claiming diplomatic immunity I think for most people in this country would be pretty gut-wrenching stuff,

I don't want to rush people, ... What's at stake here is too serious, too big, with too much riding on what we agreed.

To do it, we need political engagement by all governments and the courage to negotiate - really negotiate - in the realms of the possible rather than hiding behind high-sounding but unrealistic demands.

If we do not advance this negotiation in concrete terms this week -- and among ourselves today -- we will have to acknowledge that we may simply run out of time for Hong Kong,

There is progress in agriculture, even though we are still looking for further commitments from others. However, this progress is not matched in industrial goods or services. This lack of balance is a real problem and points to the ground we need to make up at Hong Kong.

I am confident because the initial discussions have indicated that member states are giving a warm welcome (to the agreement with China),

negotiation and agreement, and not confrontation.

I am not confident that the Shanghai agreement will be sustainable unless we release goods currently held at ports. This is a great volume of garments.

I am very glad that we have been able to reach agreement on this important question. The EU has worked hard for this outcome and welcomes that others have moved to make this possible.

They want to derail peace because they want to plunge Northern Ireland back into armed conflict.

after receiving a full report from the security forces and on the advice of the police this morning.

offered all sorts of positive, well-meaning, in my view misguided, justifications for a stance that is ... backward-looking, inward-looking, protectionist.

While of course there will be a number of sensitive products which need to be treated differently,

There is no benefit at all for us taking these parochial fights and these past divisions onto the European stage.

I wish there was a simple and speedy solution to meet your needs and demands, which are totally justified,

Instead of saying that globalization is a fact, that it's inevitable, we've also got to demonstrate that while the growing interdependence of the world economy is indeed a fact, it's not uncontrollable.

I would make it clear to the government of Iran that any boycott of Danish goods is a boycott of the European Union as a whole. I hope that the government (of Iran) will think twice.

The moment you start reducing expectations you risk introducing complacency,

It's easy to make these grandiose commitments, and some will say he's playing to the gallery, and some will say he's making these lavish promises in the almost certain knowledge that the rest of the world can't or won't follow suit.

It's a very good idea that we have a third term Labour government led by Tony Blair for a full term.

It would have been disastrous if he had been forced to ratchet back what the EU has put out so far. We hope the member states are giving their negotiators enough space that they can respond effectively to what we have put on the table.

Having viewed Europe as an extension and projection of itself, France now finds Europe developing a mind and identity of its own which embraces France but is not controlled by France.

The College today gave me strong and united support in the approach. I am taking in dealing with the problem of blocked goods, I welcome this,

I've asked him if there will be an offer. It's not a new offer were asking for, it's a first offer and none was tabled this morning.

The last thing we need is to turn in on ourselves rather than face us up to what we have to do in the world.

We have to mend our ways and remember we have a public to whom we are accountable and to whom we have to explain and justify ourselves.

By any measure what we are putting forward is a very deep cut,

we will engage further in discussing the content of what we have offered and the appropriate responses by others.

We call it a one-sided bargain.

A challenge is not necessarily a threat, ... there are growing public job fears and sometimes bitter questioning of whether we are giving away too much in the name of free trade.

What is most important for Europe is economic growth and jobs, security at home and safety in the world.

The consequences of not doing so will be severe economic pain for many medium and small-sized businesses,

Firstly, people take for granted that the E.U. has created the biggest economic space in the world.