Extracts from the press conference by Martin SCHULZ, EP President and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the EC, after his election to EP President at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Strasbourg

JUNCKER, Jean-Claude (LU)

press conference

SCHULZ, Martin (S&D, DE)

European Commission

appointment of the President of the European Commission (T)

appointment of Jean-Claude JUNCKER as EC President 2014 (T)

Election of the President of the Commission: extracts from the press conference by Martin SCHULZ, EP President and Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the EC

Exterior view of the EP , Strasbourg

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the EC , There are few surprises as far as I'm concerned. I pretty much seen everything, and experienced most procedures. I'm hardly surprised by the Italian procedure in place, but I will not comment on the nomination that will accord what you have said, will be presented to me tomorrow. I will wait the Council meeting.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the EC :, I don't know if it's worth for repeating the same thing. You have to verify the context in which that being said. I've said this in relation with the European monetary system. At the time if a finance minister had been asked on a Friday morning if there should be realignment of the currency during the weekend, any finance minister would have lied. Otherwise that would have made the deal for speculators! It is important to take into account the interests of the weakest and not the speculators. So I recuse this accusation and the interpretation given to these wise proposals.

SOUNDBITE (English), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the EC :, We want a fair deal with Britain. We have to take into account that UK Government will propose a list of competencies being located in Brussels in order to repatriate them, bring them back to British Parliament and other governments do have ideas of the same kind. This will be a matter for negotiations. I will negotiate with David Cameron and others and we will make a fair deal with Britain. You tell the British public so often that I am not a federalist that don't want a united states of Europe or that I don't want to bring down the European nations, this is an occasion to enable you to repeat that this evening.

SOUNDBITE (German), Martin SCHULZ (S&amp;D, DE), EP President , (on Latin America) I don't share your view that Latin America is the US backyard. There is a majority of MEP's who believe there should be a closer cooperation between the EU and Latin America countries with Mercosur and Central American Parliament. The EP is not going to confine the Transatlantic relationship to the EU and US relationships as long as I am President. All in all, we have been much involved in the Colombia peace process, I have met the President Uribe and Santos and representative of civil society. I intend to maintain these communication channels and as much as we can, we will contribute to dialogue within Colombia.

SOUNDBITE (French), Jean-Claude JUNCKER, President-elect of the EC :, I don't prepare debate with the Far Right in advance because I have no wish to debate with them. But since you referred to Mrs Le Pen, she spoke to me and I had the pleasure of telling her that I had no interest in her vote. I don't want the vote of somebody who doesn't like people because of the colour of their skin, because of of where they come from, because of their sexual orientation or because they have different beliefs, no, I don't believe in a Europe of rejections and the protagonists of rejection don't interest me.