Brussels, 14/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - Uncertainty is still hovering over who will take over from Jean-Claude Juncker as the chair of Eurogroup when he leaves that post by 31 January 2013 at the latest. France and Germany talked about the matter privately at the 13 and 14 December European Summit, but didn't find a solution.
The name of Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem has been circulating as a possible head of Eurogroup, explained the Finnish prime minister Jyrki Katainen on Thursday 13 December, but he said that the real solution to the problem of who will take over from Juncker was dependent on agreement being reached between France and Germany and it was basically a question of finding someone with whom both countries would be happy.
Diplomatic sources say France is waiting to see who comes forward and preliminary contact has only just begun so this will take time. France says they have until the end of January. Although the Dutch candidate is seen as brilliant, his youth and lack of experience (he has only been finance minister for a few weeks) count against him, say a number of sources.
Did you talk about a successor to Juncker? “I will not comment,” answered the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. It is possible that the Dutch minister will have German backing, although the German government's preference is Wolfgang Schäuble. Berlin is reported to not look favourably on French minister Pierre Moscovici for the post because he is to keen to get partial pooling of eurozone debt off the ground.
Last week, Luxembourg prime minister Juncker asked the eurozone to find someone to replace him, saying that he would not go back on his decision to leave the chairmanship of Eurogroup at the end of 2012 or, at the very latest, 31 January 2013 (see EUROPE 10744). He has been in the job since the job was set up in 2005, with his second term of office ending last July (when he was asked to stay on).
At a press conference on Friday 14 December, Juncker said that he would be discussing a successor to himself with Herman Van Rompuy over the next few weeks, and he did not have any favourites himself, although he did have friendships. Juncker said he would not say what he himself would like, because that might be seen as a preference. The job of prime minister or finance minister in a big European country was, he said, difficult to reconcile with the further responsibilities of chairing Eurogroup, but finance ministers in big countries have larger technical teams at their service than the prime minister of Luxembourg, so if necessary they could meet all the expectations now incumbent upon the person who chairs Eurogroup. (LC, CG and AN/transl.fl)