Jean-Claude Juncker confirmed as European commission president
Baku, July 16 (AZERTAC). Jean-Claude Juncker, the controversial choice to head the EU executive for the next five years, has been confirmed as next president of the European commission by a comfortable majority of MEPs in the new European parliament.
Vehemently opposed by David Cameron - who was joined only by Hungary in opposing Juncker's appointment 10 days ago - the former Luxembourg prime minister was supported by the EU's 26 other national leaders. His endorsement is followed by a special EU summit in Brussels on Wednesday at which government chiefs will seek to fill a clutch of top jobs becoming vacant later this year.
In a 47-minute speech before a secret ballot - which he won with 422 votes in the 751-seat chamber, 46 more than the absolute majority needed - Juncker made overtures to Christian and social democrats, the two biggest blocs in the Strasbourg chamber, as well as to liberals and greens.
Heckled by the strong Eurosceptic contingent in the parliament, Juncker strongly defended the euro, arguing that through years of crisis that nearly tore the union apart, the single currency had prevented the big member states from going to "monetary war" with one another.
Pledging to promote economic growth and kick Europe out of an unemployment crisis, Juncker called for "the reindustrialisation" of Europe and vowed to find €300bn for investment in infrastructure and jobs over his five-year term.
He made no mention of his previously stated intentions to pursue a new deal with Britain and Cameron, aimed at keeping the UK in the EU.
Mainstream parliamentary leaders lauded the former Luxembourg prime minister, dubbing Tuesday a "historic day" in Europe because for the first time the parliament rather than the EU's national leaders had called the shots in deciding who should lead the commission.
The focus will now turn to Wednesday's summit of national leaders which will wrestle over who will fill the top jobs in running the EU.
The summit is certain to name a successor to Britain's Lady Ashton as Europe's foreign policy chief. The Italian Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, is energetically pushing his foreign minister, Federica Mogherini, for the job. The Italian is the frontrunner and ticks two boxes by being a woman and a social democrat, but has little foreign policy experience.
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