The Juncker presidency : the 'political commission' in practice

Abstract

Appearing before the European Parliament (EP) in July 2014 as candidate for the European Commission Presidency, Jean‐Claude Juncker declared that his would be a ‘political Commission’. With this formulation, which he would repeat continually over the coming months and indeed throughout his mandate, Juncker served notice that, after his appointment he had no intention simply of picking up where the outgoing Commission signed off. His administration would be different: it would take political responsibility for its actions, respond to the interests of citizens, and be prepared to defend the European Union (EU) and itself.