Jean Claude Juncker, former Luxembourg Prime Minister, was elected president of the European Commission on Tuesday in Strasbourg.
Juncker, 59, was elected with 422 votes in favor and 250 against replacing former Portuguese prime minister Jose Manual Barroso. Barroso will take office as president of the new European Commission on 1 November for a five-year renewable term.
He is expected to present a full list of 28 commissioners to European lawmakers in October.
Addressing the European Parliament ahead of the vote, Juncker said: “We need a reindustrialization of Europe,” adding that only those who were “completely blind and deaf” were not aware that the European Union had lost some of its credibility.
He vowed to revive Europe’s economy with a €300 billion industrial plan which aims to create jobs for the European Union’s 25 million unemployed. Juncker also pledged to increase transparency in the ongoing trade negotiations between the EU and US.
The leaders of the European Union chose Juncker as their presidential candidate on the 28 June despite strong opposition from the United Kingdom.
The U.K. had opposed his candidacy, saying he was "not the right person" for this position at a time when the EU requires reforms.
The newly elected Commission President will now send official letters to the member states' leaders inviting them to propose their candidate members of the Commission.
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