Debate during the plenary session of October in Strasbourg on the Presentation of the College of Commissioners and Commission's work programme. Statement by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission.

debate

plenary session

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

Juncker Commission (T)

Commission's work programme (T)

appointment of a member of the European Commission (T)

Presentation of the College of Commissioners and Commission's work programme: extracts from the statement by Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/12225510/I094111Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

Atmosphere shots before the plenary starts (6 shots)

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I'm not asking the Commissioners to be blindly obedient; as I said before, at my age you don't start a new carrier as a dictator; I would like the Commissioners to be free. I've been asked to do everything in my power to create a political college of Commissioners and I do respect the fact that the Commissioners have political views, and through their deliberations they will feed and enliven the debate within the Commission"

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I have a contract with you President and I have a contract with the European Parliament. I intend to respect the terms of this contract which I set out before you in the present summer".

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I read in most of the European press that Frans Timmermans will be my right-hand man. Well I hope that from time to time he will also be my left-hand man, but it will be difficult" (laughs)

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I would like the EU to find its way back and to equipped itself with another kind of "triple A" rating. I want Europe to have a social 'triple A' and a social 'triple A' rating is as important as the economic and financial 'triple A'" Applause

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I had to fight to get the national governments to put forward 9 women for Commissioner (...) But to tell you the truth 9 women out of 28 Commissioners is still ridiculous" Applause

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I did not have in mind that medicines and pharmaceutical products and medical activities are to be considered as simple merchandise or ordinary commodities. I am aware of this request that you formulated to tidy up and have another look at this allocation of responsibilities. This was a wish expressed in the Parliamentary hearings and also from those representatives of medical sector so I have decided to give back these powers to the Health Commissioner" Applause

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I took note of the intense debates around investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations (...) I have asked Frans Timmermans, in his role as First Vice-President in charge of the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights, to advise me on the matter. There will be no investor-to-state dispute clause in TTIP if Frans does not agree with it too."

SOUNDBITE (German), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "Investments are of crucial importance for the European economy and for the people living and working in Europe. Europe is going through a dreadful period of low investment. The level of investment in the EU dropped by just under &euro;500 billion, or 20%, after its latest peak in 2007 (...) If there is no investment in the countries, economies cant' grow and can't provide employment. This investment programme is something very close to my heart and I would like to say with great clarity here that the attempts that have been made in the meantime to actually distract me from this project will not work. I am sticking to this programme". Applause

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "I don't want to delude people; I don't want to create the impression to those who are candidate countries that they could become members of the EU over the next 5 years, there will not be any new member states during this mandate of this Commission as it's not feasible".

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission , "If the EU wants to be credible, it cannot be a deadbeat, it must honour its commitments".

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission, "The Ebola crisis requires an energetic, rapid and coordinated response from the EU; I don't have the impression that at the moment we have been up to the level in the fight against this epidemic".

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission, "My conviction is that this will be the 'last chance Commission'; either we succeed in bringing the European citizens closer to Europe, or we will fail (...) I'd like to take this opportunity together with you to get Europe moving again. Europe deserves our efforts and I count on you President and I count on you Honourable Members to give your support to the Commissions in the many tasks facing all of us". Applause, cutaways.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the Commission, "The problems related to legal migration and illegal immigration will be tackled as top priorities of the Commission that I hope can take office on 1st November".