According to a report published by German magazine Der Spiegel, British Prime Minister David Cameron had threatened that the UK could quit its membership in the European Union if Jean-Claude Juncker becomes the president of the European Commission. Mr Cameron added that his appointment could destabilize the British government, which could in turn prompt referendum plans on EU membership. Mr Juncker’s European People’s Party won the largest number of seats in the May elections for the European parliament. The centre-right group, which also encompasses German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats, won 213 out of 751 seats in the Parliament and nominated Mr Juncker to run for the presidency of the European Commission to succeed Portugal’s incumbent Jose Manuel Barroso. Yet, several other EU Member States have already voiced their opposition to Mr Juncker’s plans to become the new President of the EU Commission.
Der Spiegel commented that the British prime minister issued a warning to Germany’s Angela Merkel during a meeting in Brussels. Citing “sources close to the participants” of the summit, the German magazine reported that Mr Cameron told Chancellor Merkel that appointing Mr Juncker could really destabilize his government to such an extent that the British could opt for the end of EU membership for their country. Der Spiegel also cited Mr Cameron as explaining to Angela Merkel that “a face from the 1980s cannot solve the problems of the next five years”. A senior government source commented that it did not acknowledge the language about destabilization.
