EU Summit 2014: Jean-Claude Juncker expected to be confirmed as next president of European Commission

EU Summit in Brussels is expected to confirm former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the European Commission.

The move comes despite strong opposition from the UK.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron believes Jean-Claude Juncker is too much in favor of closer political union and might block EU reform.

He also objects to the way Jean-Claude Juncker, a 59-year-old veteran of Brussels deal-making, was put forward.

Jean-Claude Juncker was lead candidate of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which won last month’s European elections.

The UK Conservatives – who pulled out of the EPP – suspect that the Commission is being politicized in a power grab by the European Parliament.

However, Jean-Claude Juncker’s supporters value his record of consensus-building and commitment to EU integration.

Under new EU treaty rules the leaders have to take account of the European election result when nominating a Commission chief. The parliament will vote on the nominee next month.

David Cameron is seeking an unprecedented vote on the appointment, which is usually made by consensus.

But his bid to block Jean-Claude Juncker suffered a major setback this week when his allies changed tack.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had given David Cameron hope after agreeing to a vote on the issue if there was no consensus.

But both the Netherlands and Sweden – normally close to UK positions in Europe – have since said they will back Jean-Claude Juncker.

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