Brussels, 31/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - The EPP candidate to take over from José Manuel Barroso at the helm of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, explained in an interview with Germany newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung on Monday 31 March what changes he would make to the European Commission if he became its president.
Juncker, formerly the prime minister of Luxembourg, said that, if he became president, he would work with five or six vice-presidents to manage big issues like the economy or the internal market, with individual commissioners on sector-specific policies. In a second interview, with French newspaper Le Figaro, Juncker said he expected member states to send their high-flyers to Brussels, people with confirmed political experience who were not planning to laze around in Brussels.
He stated he wanted commissioners with experience at national, regional and local level. He would not accept with commissioners sidelined in internal political wrangling or who simply want to come an put their feet up in Brussels, he said, adding that Europe needs a strong Commission with strong commissioners who can act at the same level as the member states.
Pointing out that his priority would be economic growth, jobs and strengthening the internal market, the former head of the Eurogroup told Süddeutsche Zeitung that he would have appointed a commissioner for Greece if he had been head of the Commission during the crisis. The commissioner for Greece would have been in charge of regional European funds, budget issues, the labour market and everything else relating to Greece. In that way, Greek ministers would not have had to run from one Commission department to another in Brussels and repeat themselves all the time.
On the latter issue, and as he has already argued in the past, Juncker said a permanent head of the Eurogroup is needed because managing budget and economic policies in the eurozone is a full-time job. He said that, in order to strengthen monetary union, slight changes to the treaty might be required. (SP)