Former
Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker has been confirmed as the new
European Commission President by a comfortable majority. He said the 28-member
bloc would not take in new members in the near future.
Deutsche Welle, 15 July 2014
In a vote
at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, 422 out of 751 lawmakers
supported Juncker’s appointment as the president of the European Commission,
the EU's executive body. Two-hundred-and-fifty parliamentarians opposed the
appointment.
New vision
Addressing
the MEPs prior to Tuesday's vote, Juncker said that the EU would freeze
expansion for the next five years. "The EU needs to mark a pause in its
enlargement process so that we can consolidate what has been done with 28
[existing member states]," he said.
Juncker
announced plans for a "reindustrialization of Europe," calling for a
300 billion euro ($409 billion) investment plan which would "enhance
growth and competitiveness." He also called for more solidarity with the
EU’s southern states facing the pressure of tackling migrants who reach their
shores.
Chancellor
Angela Merkel later congratulated Juncker for his finalized appointment,
specifically praising that he cleared the first parliamentachieved at the first
vote.
"This
is a good sign for Europe's capacity for action," Merkel said. "And
this will assist us in quickly getting to work with the new commission."
Tough task
ahead
Juncker was
previously in charge of the "Eurogroup," a collection of finance
ministers from the countries using the single European currency, the euro. In
this role, he gained fans and critics alike after recommending sometimes
drastic cuts in public spending for eurozone governments struggling with debts
in the aftermath of the 2008 recession.
His
center-right alliance in the European Parliament, the European People’s Party
(EPP), won the most seats in elections held this May. The second-placed
center-left alliance later threw its support behind Juncker, who said on
Tuesday he would seek to form a "grand coalition" - akin to Germany's
- in Strasbourg. Yet his appointment was strongly opposed by British Prime Minister David Cameron, who demanded a more reform-oriented leader as the
commission’s head.
Chancellor
Angela Merkel's German Christian Democrats are members of Juncker's EPP in
Europe; after wavering for several days amid Cameron's complaints, Merkel
ultimately supported Juncker as candidate.
Socialist
and liberal factions in the EU Parliament extended their support to Juncker
shortly before voting took place. Socialist leader Gianni Pitella said, “We are
holding out a hand to you of confidence. It is now up to you not to betray that
trust.”
mg/msh (Reuters, AFP, dpa)
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