Jean-Claude Juncker was born in 1954 in the Duchy of Luxembourg, one of the smallest European states. Juncker felt the consequences of the war firsthand, as during World War II his father was forced to join the German army.
Where did he get his education?
During his youth, Juncker studied in three different countries. He received his primary education in Belvaux (Luxembourg), attended high school in the Belgian Clairefontaine, but in the end he returned to his homeland and passed the exams for the certificate in Luxembourg. In 1975 he entered the law faculty of the University of Strasbourg in France. Right on schedule, in 1979, the future president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, received his diploma. This proves that he was a very smart guy who, among other things, also spoke no less than five different languages.
What did he do after 1979?
It was a long time ago, but even then, Mr. Juncker showed a penchant for politics. Instead of going to work for a law firm, he offered his knowledge to ChristianSocial People's Party (HSNP) and in 1982, at the age of 28, he received the position of Secretary of State for Labor and Social Security. Obviously, Juncker had already shown himself to be a hardworking politician, so two years later he was appointed to the post of Minister of Labor. Juncker took over as finance minister in 1989 and liked it so much that he retained the post until 2009. In January 1995, Jean-Claude Juncker became Prime Minister of Luxembourg. He held this position until December 2013, for almost 19 years, during which he won consecutively in three general elections and was the head of four coalitions (with liberals or socialists, depending on the situation). From this we can conclude that he coped well with his duties.
Did he make mistakes?
Of course, sometimes he also became involved in scandals, and as a result of one of them he even lost his premiership. This happened after information was leaked to the press about illegal wiretapping of the phones of representatives of the local establishment, organized by the Luxembourg secret services (there are, it turns out, such). The intelligence officers passed on the information received to Juncker, but at the same time they turned out to be so arrogant that they also listened to him. This did not stop him from running for re-election, as a result he received more votes than anyone else. However, this time the prime minister failed to come to an agreement with the socialists and liberals, who concluded between themselvesa deal behind his back.
What did he do for Europe?
We already know that Juncker is quite a hardworking person. When it comes to Europe, he works with a vengeance and seems ready to throw all his energy into defending his beliefs. The fact that he simultaneously held the posts of prime minister and minister of finance made him an expert in all cases taking place in Brussels, and therefore in the European Council and at the meetings of the Council of Economic Ministers. In his 25 years as minister and prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker has survived the signing of four fundamental agreements, one draft constitution (rejected), a technological bubble, several global and many European crises, the accession of sixteen new states to the European Union, the birth of a single currency. And he had a hand in all this.
Economy
Junker has earned much praise for his work on the Council of Ministers of Finance and Economics of the European Union (ECOFIN). He was one of the founders of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU, the forerunner of the euro), as well as the Stability and Growth Pact. Juncker was for eight years the head of the Eurogroup, the meeting of European finance ministers. In December 1996, at the meeting of the European Council in Dublin, he was a key broker in all matters relating to the implementation in the coming years of the Stability and Growth Pact (GSP), created by the German finance minister Theo Weigel. In fact, it is a list of all the pros and cons for states,wishing to join the eurozone. It was assumed that compliance with all requirements would be monitored by a special commission, but a few years later it turned out that this process is becoming more and more like the case where a blind person supervises other blind people.
In January 2013, Juncker handed over his post to Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloom (it is said that the damp Brussels air then filled with mournful guitar sounds and voices singing about departing friends who take a piece of your soul with them).
Politics
As a member of the Council of Ministers of Finance (ECOFIN), Jean-Claude Juncker first rose to prominence as a global political figure when he led the preparation of the Maastricht Treaty. It was officially called the "Treaty of European Union" and was approved at the meeting of the Council of Europe in Maastricht in December 1991, signed in February 1992 and entered into force on November 1, 1993.
He later moved in this direction, working on the Amsterdam Treaty (a logical extension of the Maastricht Treaty) while simultaneously working on the Luxembourg Process, which aimed to complement existing practices and financial agreements with social inclusion schemes with a focus on job creation.
What was his role during the crisis?
Throughout this economic drama, Juncker played the role of the "good guy". As chairman of the Eurogroup, he was one of the key figures in the development of aid programs andfinancial funds used to stabilize the euro. This was usually done through the so-called Frankfurt Group, an informal gathering of financial officials and, according to some, the real shadow authority in the EU.
As part of this group, Juncker kept aloof from the most strict and dogmatic of views, actively collaborated with those who advocate a combination of austerity and growth stimulation, and also worried about the widening gap between the economic conditions of northern and southern countries.
That is why in December 2010, together with Italian Finance Minister Giulio Tremonti, on behalf of the heads of 27 states that were then EU members, he put forward a proposal to grant the European Debt Agency the right to issue bonds (the famous Eurobonds). The agency should take over the responsibilities of the European Financial Stability Facility, a mechanism set up to bail out states in crisis situations and entirely dependent on voluntary contributions from member governments.
Who appointed him?
Jean-Claude Juncker was chosen by the people. All major European parties put forward candidates for the European Parliament elections, and Jean-Claude Juncker led the list of the People's Party.
To say that Juncker never shirks his job would be a very big understatement. Immediately after the election, the new chairman gave a speech on the goals set. He simultaneously demonstrated his oratorical skills and acknowledged earlier mistakes by comparing measures,adopted in Europe during the crisis, with "repairing a burning plane right in the air." Simply put, Jean-Claude Juncker stated that in the end, the crash was avoided, but the dangerous line was very close and some things simply could not have been done better. He further emphasized that the success of the future European policy largely depends on restoring the confidence of citizens and overcoming the problems faced by the society and economy of Europe.
Will he be up to the task?
Guessing is useless here, so let's just consider Juncker's qualities as a politician. He faces a difficult task that requires strong determination and iron will. Juncker has already proven himself to have these qualities, complementing his commitment to European federalism.
If Juncker needs help, he can always get it from his like-minded and party comrades, who will help find solutions to many accumulated problems. This is especially true in the social sphere, where the EU needs to make significant progress in the near future.
Most likely, the head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is the person who can achieve the maximum result, but his path will definitely not be strewn with roses.
