EU backs Juncker to head Commission in blow to UK

The BBC's Nick Robinson says David Cameron "did not plan this, want this, or expect this"

EU leaders meeting in Brussels have nominated former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker as the next president of the European Commission.

The move came despite strong opposition from Britain.

Prime Minister David Cameron pushed for a vote on Mr Juncker - breaking with tradition - and 26 out of 28 countries backed him, UK officials said.

Only Mr Cameron and Hungarian PM Viktor Orban voted against him. Mr Juncker is also likely to win a vote by Euro MPs.

Earlier UK Prime Minister David Cameron said "the odds are stacked against me" over Mr Juncker, but stressed that he would stick to his principles.

He believes Mr Juncker is too much in favour of closer political union and might block EU reform.

He also objects to the way Mr Juncker, a 59-year-old veteran of Brussels deal-making, was put forward. He was lead candidate of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), which won last month's European elections.

"I've told EU leaders they could live to regret the new process for choosing the Commission President. I'll always stand up for UK interests," Mr Cameron tweeted after the decision.

The UK Conservatives - who pulled out of the EPP - suspect that the Commission is being politicised in a power grab by the European Parliament. But Mr Juncker's supporters value his record of consensus-building and commitment to EU integration.

Under new EU treaty rules the leaders have to take account of the European election result when nominating a Commission chief. The parliament will vote on Mr Juncker in mid-July.

Jean-Claude Juncker is the choice of the European People's Party, which won the most seats in the European Parliament

Mr Cameron sought an unprecedented summit vote on the appointment, which is usually made by consensus.

But his bid to block Mr Juncker suffered a major setback this week when his allies changed tack.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel had given Mr Cameron hope after agreeing to a vote on the issue if there was no consensus.

But both the Netherlands and Sweden - normally close to UK positions in Europe - later said they would back Mr Juncker.

The BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says many European diplomats feel that Mr Cameron's approach in the EU is too confrontational, going against the grain of consensus decision-making in the union.

There is speculation that the UK may get a powerful seat on the Commission as a "consolation prize", he says - for example, commissioner for the internal market.

Mr Cameron wanted a vote on Mr Juncker so that EU leaders would have to justify their support for the veteran politician in public.

David Cameron: "Juncker not right person to take organisation forward"

Mr Cameron says he is determined to press ahead with renegotiation of Britain's EU membership, followed by an in/out referendum in the UK in 2017, if his Conservative Party wins next year's general election.

But the row over Mr Juncker may make that renegotiation more difficult, observers say.

"It is the opening step in a longer campaign to secure change in Europe, a better position for Britain in Europe, and a referendum that will be held before the end of 2017," Mr Cameron said.

The row comes a month after anti-EU parties made sweeping gains in European elections. They won nearly a third of the parliamentary seats.

What does UK have against Jean-Claude Juncker?

In a landmark move on Friday the summit leaders signed far-reaching trade partnership deals with three former Soviet republics - Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova.

The "association agreements" commit the countries to EU standards, including new customs regulations, quality controls and free market competition.

Russia is suspicious of these agreements and is trying to draw ex-Soviet republics into its own customs union. A senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin told the BBC the deal was in breach of the Ukrainian constitution.

Next steps

1-3 July - First post-election session of new European Parliament

14-17 July - European Parliament votes on nominee for Commission president - expected to back Mr Juncker

September - Parliament grills each nominee for 28-member Commission (one from each member state)

October - Parliament votes on new Commission team

November - New Commission should take office, as should new EU foreign policy chief and new European Council president.