German Chancellor to 'oust' European Council President after Brexit

(Baonghean.vn)- On July 3, a minister in the German Government revealed that German Chancellor Angela Merkel may "oust" European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker next year, amid deep divisions within European politics over how to deal with the Brexit issue.

“The pressure is mounting on European Council President Juncker to resign, and Chancellor Angela Merkel will have to deal with this next year,” an unnamed German minister told the Sunday Times.

Merkel’s anger at the European Council president has been compounded by divisions in Europe over how to deal with Britain’s exit from the EU, the minister added, with European politicians torn between using the Brexit negotiations to deepen European integration or taking a more pragmatic approach to Britain.

European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker, who is facing growing pressure to resign following Britain's exit from the EU. Photo: Getty

Ms Merkel's displeasure was also reflected in the fact that the Prime Minister only met with French and Italian leaders in Berlin last week, excluding Mr Juncker from the talks.

The German chancellor’s anger reflects a growing divide within Europe, with Mr Juncker and the French and Belgian leaders, who want to see “a more united Europe” after Brexit, on one side and Ms Merkel and her powerful finance minister, Wolfgang Schauble, who see post-Brexit integration as madness, on the other.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a leading voice in the EU. Photo: Getty

Since the referendum on Britain’s EU membership on June 23, both the Czech and Polish foreign ministers have publicly called for Juncker’s resignation. However, the discontent emerging from Berlin’s leadership is the real threat to Juncker’s tenure.

The divisions within the EU also make future negotiations between the UK and the EU even more difficult. A senior British source said that “negotiations with the UK will be handled by the European Commission, between the heads of the 27 member states, not by the European Council.”

Whether the remaining 27 EU member states can maintain unity after Britain leaves the “common European home” or not, we will have to wait until September 16 when they meet in Bratislava - not Brussels - to discuss the bloc's stance on Brexit./.

Lan Ha

(According to Telegraph)