63-536: Jean-Claude Juncker ( Luxembourgish: [ˈʒɑ̃ːkloːt ˈjuŋkɐ] ; born 9 December 1954) is a Luxembourgish politician who was the 23rd prime minister of Luxembourg from 1995 to 2013 and 12th president of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019. He also was Finance Minister from 1989 to 2009 and President of the Eurogroup from 2005 to 2013. By the time Juncker left office as prime minister in 2013, he
126-766: A Catholic. For the first time in 2014, the President of the European Commission was appointed under the new provisions established with the Treaty of Lisbon, which had entered into force after the 2009 Elections to the European Parliament , on 1 December 2009. Juncker's aide Martin Selmayr played a central role in his campaign and later during his presidency as Juncker's campaign director, head of Juncker's transition team and finally as Juncker's head of cabinet (chief of staff). Almost all major European political parties , put forward
189-413: A Jesuit Boarding school close to the border of Belgium; as a schoolboy, Juncker negotiated and debated with the school's administrators on behalf of his classmates. Juncker was one of twelve children in a large household, where money was tight; he learned from a young age the importance of saving. This experience proved useful during his later role as Minister of Finance. Following Juncker's graduation from
252-479: A United States of Europe," as well as "I do not believe that Europe can be constructed against the nation state." On 15 July, Juncker presented his political programme to the European Parliament in plenary. Following a debate, the MEPs appointed Juncker to the position of Commission President with 422 votes in favour, well over the 376 required, and 250 votes against. In early November 2014, just days after becoming head of
315-431: A collegial governmental system; often, the government will present its resignation, only for the successor government to include many, if not most, of the previous ministers serving under the same prime minister. Each of the smaller dates reflects a change in the government without a change of prime minister. From the promulgation of the first constitution , in 1848, until the early twentieth century, Luxembourgish politics
378-553: A lead candidate, or spitzenkandidat for their respective election campaign. At the election Congress of the European People's Party (EPP), held in Dublin on 6–7 March, Jean-Claude Juncker was elected the party's lead candidate for President of the commission, defeating Michel Barnier . The congress also adopted the EPP election manifesto, which was used by Juncker during his campaign. In
441-564: A majority in its own right. On 27 May, the leaders of five of the seven political groups of the parliament issued a statement that Jean-Claude Juncker, being the lead candidate of the party which won a plurality of the seats, should be given the first attempt to form the required majority to be elected Commission President. Only the ECR and EFD disagreed to this process. Later on 27 May, the European Council gave its president, Herman van Rompuy ,
504-399: A second term as President of the European Council. Shortly after the expiration of his term came Luxembourg's referendum on ratification , and Juncker staked his political career on its success, promising to resign if the referendum failed. The final result was a 56.5% Yes vote on an 88% turnout. His continued allegiance to European ideals earned him the 2006 Karlspreis . In 2009, he denounced
567-480: A wristwatch to covertly record a confidential conversation with Juncker in 2008. According to the report, although Juncker had later found out about the recording, he took no action against Mille and allowed him to leave the service in 2010 for a position with Siemens . A transcript of the conversation was published by D'Lëtzebuerger Land , which highlighted the disorganised state of the secret service, mentioned links between Grand Duke Henri and MI6 and referred to
630-613: Is a public research university located in Strasbourg , France , with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. Founded in the 16th century by Jean Sturm , it was an intellectual hotbed during the Age of Enlightenment . The old university was split into three separate entities during the 1970s, before they merged back together in 2009. The University of Strasbourg is currently composed of 35 academic faculties, schools and institutes, plus 71 research laboratories spread over six campuses, including
693-524: Is complicated by the Eurozone's arrangements, in which policy negotiations are held in high-profile international summits of eurozone finance ministers, where leaks of ongoing negotiations may potentially put "millions of people at risk". Indeed, the quote continues; Monetary policy is a serious issue. We should discuss this in secret, in the Eurogroup. ... The same applies to economic and monetary policies in
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#1732855673989756-495: Is married to Christiane Frising. The couple have no children. List of prime ministers of Luxembourg The prime minister of Luxembourg ( Luxembourgish : Premierminister vu Lëtzebuerg ; French : Premier ministre luxembourgeois ; German : Premierminister von Luxemburg ) is the head of government of Luxembourg . The prime minister leads the executive branch, chairs the Cabinet and appoints its ministers. Since 1989,
819-572: Is not known whether Juncker apologised for his outburst. In addition to his native Luxembourgish , Juncker is fluent in English, French, German and Latin . Juncker suffers from sciatica attacks following a 1989 car accident, which cause him occasional unsteadiness while walking. A video of Juncker stumbling and receiving assistance from several EU politicians at a NATO leaders' event in July 2018 prompted comments about his health, though his spokesman dismissed
882-739: The "Bommeleeër" scandal . On 4 December 2012, the Chamber of Deputies voted to set up a Parliamentary Inquiry into allegations of SREL misconduct including the illegal bugging of politicians, purchase of cars for private use and allegations of taking payments and favours in exchange for access to officials. The inquiry heard from witnesses who claimed that SREL had conducted six or seven illegal wiretapping operations between 2007 and 2009, as well as covert operations in Iraq, Cuba and Libya. The report concluded that Juncker had to bear political responsibility for SREL's activities, that he had been deficient in his control over
945-528: The Catholic conservatives . In the early twentieth century, the emergence of socialism as a third force in Luxembourgish politics ended the dominance of independents, and further politicised the government of the country. This did not affect the prime minister's position until 1915, when the long-serving Paul Eyschen died in office. His death created a struggle for power between the main factions, leading to
1008-465: The Free Imperial City of Strassburg. It was transformed to a university in 1621 ( German : Universität Straßburg ) and elevated to the ranks of a royal university in 1631. Among its earliest university students was Johann Scheffler who studied medicine and later converted to Catholicism and became the mystic and poet Angelus Silesius . The Lutheran German university still persisted even after
1071-682: The German Empire the university was greatly expanded and numerous new buildings were erected because the university was intended to be a showcase of German against French culture in Alsace. In 1918, Alsace-Lorraine was returned to France, so a reverse exodus of Germanophone teachers took place. During the Second World War , when France was occupied, personnel and equipment of the University of Strasbourg were transferred to Clermont-Ferrand . In its place,
1134-670: The University of Strasbourg , he was appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary . He later won election to the Chamber of Deputies for the first time in 1984 and was immediately appointed to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Jacques Santer as Minister of Labour. In the second half of 1985, Luxembourg held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Communities , permitting Juncker to develop his European leadership qualities as chair of
1197-631: The Wehrmacht at the Eastern Front, which left him visibly scarred. Throughout his life Joseph Juncker was also a member of the Christian Labour union, and he took his son to several union and party meetings, which impacted his son's political views even in his early days. Having come from a poor family, he made central to his political ideology the fight against social inequalities, and for equal opportunities and fairness for all people. Jean-Claude went to
1260-624: The World Bank . Juncker's second election to Parliament, in 1989, saw him gain prominence within the European Union ; Juncker chaired the Council of Economic and Financial Affairs (ECOFIN), during Luxembourg's 1991 presidency of the Council of the European Communities, becoming a key architect of the Maastricht Treaty . Juncker was largely responsible for clauses on Economic and Monetary Union ,
1323-854: The government in exile in the United Kingdom until the liberation of Luxembourg in December 1944, whereupon the constitutional Luxembourg government returned to the Grand Duchy. Thus, although Luxembourg was formally annexed on 30 August 1942, the prime minister of the government in exile, Pierre Dupong , is assumed to have remained prime minister throughout. Political Party: PD PNI CSV DP Liberation Governments ; neutrality ended. National Union Governments . Died in office. University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg ( French : Université de Strasbourg , Unistra )
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#17328556739891386-571: The "Hero of Dublin" for achieving an unlikely consensus between the two. 1997 brought the rotating Presidency of the European Council to Luxembourg, during which time Juncker championed the cause of social integration in Europe, along with constituting the so-called "Luxembourg Process" for integrated European policy against unemployment. He also instigated the "Euro 11", an informal group of European finance ministers for matters regarding his Economic and Monetary Union ideals. For all of these initiatives, he
1449-516: The Council of the EU , accusing MEPs of showing a lack of respect for smaller EU countries. Although rebuked for his remark by the Parliament's president, Antonio Tajani , Juncker responded, "I will never again attend a meeting of this kind." Jaume Duch Guillot , chief spokesman for the Parliament, later said on Twitter that Juncker "regretted" the incident and that Tajani considered the case closed. However, it
1512-522: The Eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers decided to replace the rotating chairmanship with a permanent president. Juncker was appointed as the first permanent president and assumed the chair on 1 January 2005. He was re-appointed for a second term in September 2006. Under the Lisbon Treaty, this system was formalised and Juncker was confirmed for another term. Juncker stepped down on 21 January 2013, when he
1575-502: The European Parliament in order to explain his visions as well as gain their support in order to get appointed as Commission President. The purpose was also to show that he had understood some criticism levelled by Eurosceptics in Brussels. This was demonstrated when the former prime minister of Luxembourg told the ECR lawmakers that "[d]espite what you may read in the British press, I do not want
1638-676: The European tax landscape", was sharply criticised following the leaks. A subsequent motion of censure in the European Parliament was brought against Juncker over his role in the tax avoidance schemes. The motion was defeated by a large majority. During his tenure, Juncker also oversaw the 2014 opening of the Luxembourg Freeport , which former German Member of European Parliament Wolf Klinz dubbed "fertile ground for money laundering and tax evasion". In January 2017, leaked diplomatic cables show Juncker, as Luxembourg's prime minister from 1995 until
1701-585: The German Wehrmacht during World War II , following the Nazi occupation of Luxembourg . Juncker has often remarked that the horrors of war he heard from his father's experiences had a profound influence in shaping his views on the need for European reconciliation and integration . His mother was born Marguerite Hecker. He studied at the Roman Catholic école apostolique (secondary school) at Clairefontaine on
1764-593: The Parliamentary Inquiry into SREL, declared his lack of confidence in Juncker, saying: "We invite the prime minister to take full political responsibility in this context and ask the government to intervene with the head of state to clear the path for new elections." Juncker tendered his resignation to the Grand Duke on 11 July. After the election , Juncker was succeeded on 4 December 2013 by Xavier Bettel . In 2004,
1827-511: The Social Affairs and Budget Councils. It was here that Juncker's pro-Europe credentials first emerged. Shortly before the 1989 election Juncker was seriously injured in a road accident, spending two weeks in a coma. He has stated that the accident has caused him difficulty with balancing since. He nonetheless recovered in time to be returned to the Chamber of Deputies once more, after which he
1890-530: The Union. If we indicate possible decisions, we are fuelling speculations on the financial markets and we are throwing in misery mainly the people we are trying to safeguard from this. ... I'm ready to be insulted as being insufficiently democratic, but I want to be serious, ... I am for secret, dark debates. He further stated that when asked by a journalist to comment on those meetings he had had to lie, making clear it went against his personal moral conviction as
1953-622: The annexation of the city by King Louis XIV in 1681 (one famous student was Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1770/71), but mainly turned into a French speaking university during the French Revolution . The university was refounded as the German Kaiser-Wilhelm-Universität in 1872, after the Franco-Prussian war and the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany provoked a westwards exodus of Francophone teachers. During
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2016-541: The city, located between the "Cité Administrative", "Esplanade" and "Gallia" bus-tram stations. Modern architectural buildings include: Escarpe, the Doctoral College of Strasbourg, Supramolecular Science and Engineering Institute (ISIS), Atrium, Pangloss, PEGE (Pôle européen de gestion et d'économie) and others. The student residence building for the Doctoral College of Strasbourg was designed by London-based Nicholas Hare Architects in 2007. The structures are depicted on
2079-646: The coming period, as well as promises of some of the top jobs. The European Council officially proposed Juncker to Parliament as candidate for the Presidency on 27 June, together with a strategic agenda setting out policy priorities for the upcoming Commission mandate period. For the first time the nomination was not by consensus, but the European Council voted 26–2 to propose Juncker for the position. Voting against were British PM David Cameron ( Conservative Party / AECR ) and Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán ( Fidesz / EPP ), both of whom had frequently opposed Juncker during
2142-538: The commission, Juncker was hit by media disclosures—derived from a document leak known as LuxLeaks —that Luxembourg under his premiership had turned into a major European centre of corporate tax avoidance . With the aid of the Luxembourg government, companies transferred tax liability for many billions of euros to Luxembourg, where the income was taxed at a fraction of 1%. Juncker, who in a speech in Brussels in July 2014 promised to "try to put some morality, some ethics, into
2205-438: The commune of Sanem in the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette in the south of Luxembourg. Dominated by coal and steel manufacturing, the neighbourhood was home to a multicultural workforce of Italian and Portuguese immigrants. This social environment influenced Juncker's way of thinking and his ideology of integration and togetherness. He visits his hometown as often as he can. Juncker's father was heavily wounded during his service in
2268-402: The concerns. Speculations about alcoholism surrounded Juncker for several years and have been discussed by several high-profile EU politicians. In 2014, Jeroen Dijsselbloem , at the time Dutch Minister of Finance , described Juncker in an interview as a "heavy smoker and drinker", but later apologized for his comments. Juncker himself has always denied these allegations in interviews. Juncker
2331-471: The consultations, Juncker and the EPP agreed to cooperation with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), the second largest group in the new parliament, as well as secured the backing of all but two member state leaders. In return for their support, the centre-left group and state leaders secured promises of a shift in focus away from austerity towards growth and job creation for
2394-664: The continued reform of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union —with the social dimension in mind, a "targeted fiscal capacity" for the Eurozone , and the 2015–2016 British EU membership renegotiations . Juncker was born in Redange and spent the majority of his childhood in Belvaux . His father, Joseph, was a steel worker and Christian trade unionist who was forcibly conscripted into
2457-630: The edge of Arlon in Belgium, before returning to Luxembourg to study for his Baccalaureate at Lycée Michel Rodange . He joined the Christian Social People's Party in 1974. He studied law at the University of Strasbourg , graduating with a master's degree in 1979; although he was sworn into the Luxembourg Bar Council in 1980, he never practised as a lawyer. Juncker grew up in Belvaux, in
2520-414: The election process. Prior to the vote, various media had reported the heads of government of Sweden, Netherlands and Germany were also having similar concerns regarding either the candidate himself, or the way the nomination process was conducted. This was however never confirmed by the politicians in question. Once Juncker had been nominated by the Council he started visiting all of the political groups of
2583-428: The end of 2013, blocked EU efforts to fight tax avoidance by multinational corporations. Luxembourg agreed to multinational businesses on an individualised deal basis, often at an effective rate of less than 1%. In July 2017, Juncker described the European Parliament as "ridiculous" after only a few dozen MEPs came to attend a debate dedicated to evaluating Malta 's time holding the 6-month term rotating Presidency of
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2646-517: The establishment of the formalised party system. The Kingdom of the Netherlands shared the same monarchs with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 1815 to 1890. The Grand Duchy has had its own monarchs since 1890. In 1918, towards the end of World War I , a new Chamber of Deputies was elected with the explicit ambition of reviewing the constitution . To this end, formalised parties were formed by
2709-522: The height of the eurozone crisis, Juncker responded to a conference-goer's suggestion to increase the openness of the strategy discussions in the eurogroup, by stating: "When it becomes serious you have to lie". Scholars of financial markets have remarked that the quote is often taken out of context by critics; best practice amongst monetary policy committees in most states is to keep negotiations on decisions confidential to prevent markets from betting against troubled countries until they are finalised. This need
2772-512: The historic site in the Neustadt . Throughout its existence, Unistra alumni, faculty, or researchers have included 18 Nobel laureates, two Fields Medalists and a wide range of notable individuals in their respective fields. Among them are Goethe , statesman Robert Schuman , historian Marc Bloch and several chemists such as Louis Pasteur . The university emerged from a Lutheran humanist German Gymnasium , founded in 1538 by Johannes Sturm in
2835-665: The lifting of the excommunication of controversial Bishop Richard Williamson , a member of the Society of Saint Pius X . Juncker supported the 2011 military intervention in Libya . Juncker added that he wanted NATO to take control of coalition military efforts in Libya as soon as possible. On 19 November 2012, RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg aired a story alleging that the former head of the State Intelligence Service (SREL) , Marco Mille, had used
2898-565: The main debate between the candidates, transmitted live throughout Europe on 16 May via the European Broadcasting Union , all candidates agreed that it would be unacceptable if the European Council would propose someone as Commission President who had not publicly campaigned for the position ahead of the election. In the elections, held 22–25 May, the EPP won the most parliamentary seats of all parties (221 of 751), but short of
2961-407: The main political blocs, so as to increase their bargaining power in the negotiations. The revisions to the constitution introduced universal suffrage and compulsory voting , adopted proportional representation , and limited the sovereignty of the monarch . Since the foundation of the party system , only one cabinet (between 1921 and 1925) has not included members of more than one party. Most of
3024-474: The mandate to start consultations with the group leaders in the European Parliament to identify the best possible candidate. Having less influence over the appointment than under pre-Lisbon law, the Council instead made use of its right to set the strategic priorities, and included discussions with Parliament leaders and Council members alike for a strategic agenda for the upcoming period in Rompuy's mandate. During
3087-524: The next President of the European Commission , it was only six months later that Grand Duke Jean approved the appointment of Juncker as Prime Minister on 20 January 1995, as part of a coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party . Juncker relinquished his post at the World Bank at this time, but maintained his position as Minister for Finance. Juncker's first term as prime minister
3150-547: The position, and the European Parliament elected him on 15 July 2014 with 422 votes out of the 729 cast. He took office on 1 November 2014 and served until 30 November 2019, when he was succeeded by Ursula von der Leyen . Juncker has stated that his priorities would be the creation of a digital single market , the development of an EU Energy Union , the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade Agreement ,
3213-625: The presidency of the Commission in the 2014 elections . This marked the first time that the Spitzenkandidat process was employed. Juncker is the first president to have campaigned as a candidate for the position prior to the election, a process introduced with the Treaty of Lisbon . The EPP won 220 out of 751 seats in the Parliament . On 27 June 2014, the European Council officially nominated Juncker for
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#17328556739893276-400: The prime minister uses the title Minister of State , although this is usually relegated to a secondary title. This is a list of prime ministers and governments since the post was founded, in 1848. In larger font are the dates of the prime ministers entering and leaving office. The smaller dates, during the respective premierships, are those of the prime ministers' governments. Luxembourg has
3339-551: The process that would eventually give rise to the euro, as well as in particular is credited with devising the " opt-out " principle for the UK to assuage its concerns. Juncker was himself a signatory to the Treaty in 1992, having, by that time taken over as parliamentary leader of the Christian Social People's Party. Juncker was re-elected to the Chamber in 1994, maintaining his ministerial role. With Santer ready to be nominated as
3402-434: The service and that he had failed to report all of the service's irregularities to the enquiry commission. Juncker himself denied wrongdoing. After a seven-hour debate in the Chamber of Deputies on 10 July, the withdrawal of support from the Christian Social People's Party's coalition partner, the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP), forced Juncker to agree to new elections. Alex Bodry , President of LSAP and Chair of
3465-401: The short-lived German Reichsuniversität Straßburg was created. In 1971, the university was subdivided into three separate institutions: Following a national reform of higher education, these universities merged on 1 January 2009, and the new institution became one of the first French universities to benefit from greater autonomy. The university campus covers a vast part near the center of
3528-515: The time, governments are grand coalitions of the two largest parties, no matter their ideology; this has made Luxembourg one of the most stable democracies in the world. Two cabinets (between 1945 and 1947) included members of every party represented in the Chamber of Deputies . During the occupation of Luxembourg by Nazi Germany in World War II , Luxembourg was governed by a Nazi Party official, Gustav Simon . Pierre Dupong continued to lead
3591-513: The title of Prime Minister has been an official one, although the head of the government had been unofficially known by that name for some time. Between 1857 and 1989, the prime minister was styled the President of the Government , with the exception of the 25-day premiership of Mathias Mongenast . Before 1857, the prime minister was the President of the Council . In addition to these titles,
3654-406: Was dominated by independent politicians and statesmen. The prerogative powers of the grand duke remained undiluted, and, as such, the monarch actively chose and personally appointed the prime minister. As a result, the prime minister was often a moderate, without any strong affiliation to either of the two major ideological factions in the Chamber of Deputies : the secularist liberals and
3717-410: Was focused on an economic platform of international bilateral ties to improve Luxembourg's profile abroad, which included a number of official visits abroad. During one such visit, to Dublin in December 1996, Juncker successfully mediated a dispute over his own EU Economic and Monetary Union policy between French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl . The press dubbed Juncker
3780-627: Was honoured with the Vision for Europe Award in 1998. Juncker succeeded in winning another term as prime minister in the 1999 election , although the coalition with the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party was broken in favour of one with the Democratic Party . After the 2004 election , the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party became the second largest party again, and Juncker again formed a coalition with them. In 2005, Juncker inherited
3843-407: Was promoted to become Minister for Finance , a post traditionally seen as a rite of passage to the country's premiership. His eventual promotion to prime minister seemed at this time inevitable, with political commentators concluding that Santer was grooming Juncker as his successor. Juncker at this time also accepted the position of Luxembourg's representative on the 188-member Board of Governors of
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#17328556739893906-421: Was succeeded by Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem . During his period as "Mr. Euro", the group was instrumental in negotiating and supervising bailout packages for the countries that faced bankruptcy: Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Cyprus. Juncker was also an outspoken proponent of enhanced internal co-operation and increased international representation of the group. In a debate in 2011, during
3969-415: Was the longest-serving head of any national government in the EU and one of the longest-serving democratically elected leaders in the world, with his tenure encompassing the height of the European financial and sovereign debt crisis . In 2005, he became the first permanent President of the Eurogroup . In 2014, the European People's Party (EPP) had Juncker as its lead candidate, or Spitzenkandidat , for
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