He told MEPs that after visits to Paris and Rome in his youth, he had "never understood those of my countrymen who have such a suspicious attitude to the rest of Europe".
Parlaments jau 2005. gada 12. maijā atzina, ka "dažām tautām Otrā pasaules kara beigas nozīmēja jaunu tirāniju, ko radīja staļinistiskā Padomju Savienība."