Rutte backs Juncker for Europe president

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte (VVD) has said that the appointment of Jean-Claude Juncker as successor of José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, will be approved by The Netherlands. 

Juncker is a Christian Democrat, and was Prime Minister of Luxembourg as well as president of the Eurogroup. Critics say that he represents the 'old Europe'. Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron, is not a Juncker supporter either, as he believes that the candidate will stand in the way of much-needed reform, according to Elsevier.

On Friday, a European Summit will take place in Brussels in which government leaders will discuss who will follow Barroso in the presidential position. On Wednesday, Rutte said that he does not know if individuals will be discussed, or merely the essentials of the function. Rutte did say, however, that he will support Juncker if candidates come into the discussion.

According to sources from Elsevier, David Cameron said that he wanted to direct a vote about Juncker. Cameron would want all government heads to clearly explain their opinions. This would be the first time that there would be a joint vote about the president of the European Commission.

Cameron is currently trying to gather support for his fight against the appointment of Juncker. Prime Minister Rutte has not been vocal about the discussion about the presidency of the Commission in the last few weeks. This is the first time he has given an indication of his direction.