Brussels, 23/04/2014 (Agence Europe) -Luxembourg's Jean-Claude Juncker, the EPP's candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, took advantage of a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday 23 April to clarify statements made by the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, over the weekend about the appointment of a successor to José Manuel Barroso.
Juncker said it was time for citizens to see that the Commission is headed by people who are elected, because the closed door agreements at the Berlaymont headquarters are a thing of the past. But the proposal for a successor for Barroso will still come from the European Council, which makes sense because the EU is built on its citizens (represented at the EP, Ed.) and its member states. The name of the president will not be picked out of thin air and consultations will take place with the leaders of the European political parties. Basically, Barroso's successor will be the candidate of the strongest political grouping.
Juncker's ally, the current president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, told German newspapers at the start of the week that he was not a great fan of the idea of the heads of lists of the various European political parties being the candidates for the presidency of the European Commission. Juncker said he had read Van Rompuy's thoughts and didn't see any huge opposition between what he said and what Juncker himself has said - the Council will make a proposal after consulting the most influential political groups. He added that the Council will not dare to run the risk of proposing a candidate if it couldn't be assumed that the candidate would get the vote of the MEPs. The Council would be carefully analysing, scrutinising and interpreting the European election results, he said. Quizzed about his fears of an anti-EPP coalition if the EPP wins the elections (like what happened in Luxembourg last year), Juncker said once was enough.
Asked about rumours that he also had his eyes on the job of president of the European Council, Juncker asked whether reporters really thought he would commit himself to a demanding campaign to become the president of the European Commission if he didn't intend to take up that post. He pointed out that he has often chaired Council talks during Luxembourg's rotating presidencies and he was the head of Eurogroup, the eurozone finance minsters' group, for eight years. I've already been president of the Council, he added.
Five priorities. Juncker listed his five priorities - growth and jobs; a European Energy Union, a free-trade deal with the United States, extending EMU and dealing with the British question.
Growth and jobs will be the focus of the next European Commission if headed by Juncker. He said the EU needs to create a digital single market for consumers and businesses, which could generate €500 million in extra growth and could translate into the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs.
On energy policy, he said: “We need to pool our resources, combine our infrastructures and unite our negotiating power vis-à-vis third countries. We need to diversify our energy sources, and reduce the energy dependency of several of our member states,” which he described as “unsound” both in terms of politics and in terms of the economy. “I want Europe's Energy Union to become the world's number one in renewable energies. (…) I want to keep our European energy market open to our neighbours. However, if the price for energy from the East becomes too expensive, either in commercial or in political terms, Europe should be able to switch very swiftly to other supply channels.” A European Commission headed by Juncker would be at pains to negotiate “reasonable and balanced trade agreement with the United States of America.” “However, as Commission President, I will also be very clear that I will not sacrifice Europe's safety, health, social and data protection standards on the altar of free trade.”
On reform of economic and monetary union, Juncker said: “We have to re-balance the relationship between elected politicians and the European Central Bank in the daily management of the Eurozone. The ECB neither wants nor can govern the Eurozone. The Eurozone should instead be managed by the Commission and by the Euro Group, which in my view should be chaired by a full-time President. The responsibility of the Euro Group includes issues related to the exchange rate. We should not forget this in case the euro exchange rate should increase further and become a problem for growth.” Juncker added: “I propose that in the future, any support and reform programme goes not only through a fiscal sustainability assessment; but at the same time through a social impact assessment.” Juncker said he would like to re-attempt Joaquin Almunia's failed attempt in 1998 to have a single seat at the International Monetary Fund for the eurozone. On the question of the United Kingdom, he said: “No reasonable politician can ignore the fact that, during the next five years, we will have to find solutions for the political concerns of the United Kingdom. We have to do this if we want to keep the UK within the European Union - which I would like to do as Commission President. As Commission President, I will work for a fair deal with Britain. A deal that accepts the specificities of the UK in the EU, while allowing the Eurozone to integrate further.” He didn't think this would require a change to the EU treaty. (EL)