Opinion: Jean-Claude Juncker, ni-hao!

By Anna van Densky, Brussels

As Argentina is not a member of the EU, it could not invite someone modern, dynamic and charming from overseas such as Pope Francis. The Europeans had to contend with what they have - an old generation Eurocentric dogmatist, Jean-Claude Juncker (59), to head the EU executive body with a unique right of initiative - the European Commission. One of the major architects of the Maastricht Treaty and the father of the euro, Juncker has dominated the Brussels political landscape for almost a quarter of a century. With an upcoming five or ten years as head of the Commission, he will set an absolute personal record of political longevity, but a Europe hoping for change will hardly profit from this individual achievement.

The recent EU developments with the Jean-Claude Juncker appointment are reminiscent of the USSR – a quarter of a century at the top is close to the record of Leonid Brezhnev, the famous ‘guarantor of peace and stability’ of the Soviet stagnation era.

However, unlike the communist leaders, Juncker is not representing the public interest, but primarily those of Luxembourg banks – tax havens in the heart of Europe.

Notorious for his cynical views during the secret dealings on the Greek crisis, Juncker admitted that he is not supportive of transparency in politics. The wooden language and obscurity – the qualities Juncker cultivated as finance minister, and later polished as chair of the Eurogroup – are almost the instincts of a professional who knows that money ‘loves silence’. He claimed that it is better to keep mute in the public interest, which is perfectly understandable in this case, as Juncker being one of the authors of the Maastricht Treaty, did not foresee the mechanism of saving the euro in times of trouble.

Surprisingly, Juncker’s fans tend to romanticize him as the heir to Helmut Kohl’s credo of the EU as a peace project – an approach that is so badly needed in Europe, with the eastern and southern neighborhoods in flames. This vision seems rather naïve, as Junker’s ascendance is due to his loyalty to bankers and total negligence of public opinion.

After the subsequent rejection of the constitution by the French and Dutch, Juncker, while chairing the EU’s rotating presidency as Luxembourg prime minister, explained this stance as a failure of communicating Europe to citizens, remaining firm in his faith that the EU will continue its integration path in spite of public resistance. This neglect of the concerns of the citizens increasingly resembles the Soviets, monopolizing the notion of public good and imposing the parent-child relationship between the political elites and citizens. A graying EU leader, resisting reforms and indulging in the wooden language of endless monologues, is causing the growing disaffection of EU citizens towards Brussels.

Furthermore, the idea of reform is being replaced by the request of solidarity as a universal remedy – enshrined in the motto of the European People’s party, the centre-right group that put forward the candidacy of Juncker for president. For many Europeans, the solidarity appeal is seen as a sacrifice – the usual mechanism for taxpayers to foot the bills that appear as a result of gross political errors. A recapitalization of the banks or Greek debt – the European taxpayer should be ready to open his heart and pocket to the ventures of the EU apparatchiks.

Supported by a majority of member states, with the exception of the United Kingdom and Hungary, Juncker is a strong proponent of a federal Europe, which he denied during recent public debates.

Although UK Prime Minister David Cameron does not appreciate Juncker as the Commission president, provoking further ‘Brexit’ discussions, the situation might attract the sympathies of one billion Chinese, who will certainly appreciate Juncker as Europe’s new prototype leader, whose age and experience are the assets and virtues they see in themselves.

The leaders of the Communist party are carefully selected based on their long records and devotion at the age of 60 to serve until 70 and then pass the baton to the next senior apparatchik. After a decade of Barroso, Europe enters a decade of Juncker. Ni-hao!

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