Latest news with #Juncker
Euronews
10-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Europe's workforce challenge: Commission launches plan to bridge skills gap
Former president of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker cautioned against Ukraine joining Nato as a form of security guarantee. Talking to Euronews for The Europe Conversation, he also said that Ukraine should be granted limited EU membership. ADVERTISEMENT Jean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission, has cautioned against Ukraine joining NATO as a form of security guarantee. Juncker warned that NATO membership for Ukraine could trigger Article 5—the NATO clause asserting collective defense, which could lead to a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. He emphasized that, as long as Ukraine is at war and under attack, it cannot become a NATO member. "As long as Ukraine is under attack and at war, Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO," Juncker told The Europe Conversation. Having served as president from 2014 to 2019, Juncker also reflected on U.S. President Donald Trump's long-standing admiration for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. He was not surprised by the U.S.'s stance, which seemed to align more with the Kremlin than with traditional European allies. "I know from the past, having met President Trump so many times, that he has friendly feelings toward Russia and President Putin," Juncker said. "For example, during the G7 meetings, Trump advocated for Russia's membership, suggesting we transform the G7 into the G8." Juncker also criticized Trump's rhetoric on the war in Ukraine, particularly his repeated claims about NATO membership being a central factor in the invasion. Last week, Trump reiterated his position that Ukraine should not join NATO, saying, "NATO, you can forget about—that's probably the whole reason the thing started," referring to Ukraine's potential membership as a security guarantee. Juncker refuted Trump's claim, stating there was never an agreement with Russia to halt NATO's expansion. While acknowledging that the West made mistakes in its relations with Russia, he firmly stated that this did not justify the invasion of a sovereign nation. 'No, I don't think that's the case. First, we never promised Russia we would abstain from expanding NATO into Eastern and Central Europe," Juncker said. "That was never a promise, never stated, never written down. Second, while the West made some mistakes in its relationship with Russia, there was never a valid reason to resort to war. It's easy to start a war; it's incredibly difficult to stop one." Juncker also noted that if the West were to focus on what could have been done differently, Putin and the Russian public might interpret this as justification for Russia's actions in Ukraine. 'I don't think Ukraine can accept an agreement without security guarantees,' Juncker said. 'They have a strong need for such guarantees, and there will be no settlement without Ukraine's agreement.' He went on to say that, although he once had good relations with Putin and didn't foresee the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU must maintain some form of relations with Russia in the long term. "I have lost trust in Putin and Russia, despite having had friendly relations with him," Juncker admitted. "I was very surprised when Russia attacked Ukraine. I never believed this could or would happen. But we need, I wouldn't say 'normal' relations, but some form of relations with Russia. Russia is part of Europe, and we cannot change geography. Russia will remain where it is." Ukraine was granted candidate status in June 2022, mere months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, which is now in its fourth year. Ukraine hopes to become a member by 2030. However, Juncker believes Ukraine is not yet ready for full EU membership. However, a limited membership which would allow access to the single market but not the right to vote. "The European Union must be cautious when admitting new members," Juncker said. "Ukraine is not ready for membership. Its economy is not yet prepared to fully participate in the European internal market. The state structure of Ukraine does not yet fully reflect core European values. There is still corruption in Ukraine."
Euronews
06-03-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Ukraine is not ready to join NATO or the EU, Juncker says
Former president of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker cautioned against Ukraine joining Nato as a form of security guarantee. Talking to Euronews for The Europe Conversation, he also said that Ukraine should be granted limited EU membership. ADVERTISEMENT Jean-Claude Juncker, former president of the European Commission, has cautioned against Ukraine joining NATO as a form of security guarantee. Juncker warned that NATO membership for Ukraine could trigger Article 5—the NATO clause asserting collective defense, which could lead to a direct confrontation between the alliance and Russia. He emphasized that, as long as Ukraine is at war and under attack, it cannot become a NATO member. "As long as Ukraine is under attack and at war, Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO," Juncker told The Europe Conversation. Having served as president from 2014 to 2019, Juncker also reflected on U.S. President Donald Trump's long-standing admiration for Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. He was not surprised by the U.S.'s stance, which seemed to align more with the Kremlin than with traditional European allies. "I know from the past, having met President Trump so many times, that he has friendly feelings toward Russia and President Putin," Juncker said. "For example, during the G7 meetings, Trump advocated for Russia's membership, suggesting we transform the G7 into the G8." Juncker also criticized Trump's rhetoric on the war in Ukraine, particularly his repeated claims about NATO membership being a central factor in the invasion. Last week, Trump reiterated his position that Ukraine should not join NATO, saying, "NATO, you can forget about—that's probably the whole reason the thing started," referring to Ukraine's potential membership as a security guarantee. Juncker refuted Trump's claim, stating there was never an agreement with Russia to halt NATO's expansion. While acknowledging that the West made mistakes in its relations with Russia, he firmly stated that this did not justify the invasion of a sovereign nation. 'No, I don't think that's the case. First, we never promised Russia we would abstain from expanding NATO into Eastern and Central Europe," Juncker said. "That was never a promise, never stated, never written down. Second, while the West made some mistakes in its relationship with Russia, there was never a valid reason to resort to war. It's easy to start a war; it's incredibly difficult to stop one." Juncker also noted that if the West were to focus on what could have been done differently, Putin and the Russian public might interpret this as justification for Russia's actions in Ukraine. 'I don't think Ukraine can accept an agreement without security guarantees,' Juncker said. 'They have a strong need for such guarantees, and there will be no settlement without Ukraine's agreement.' He went on to say that, although he once had good relations with Putin and didn't foresee the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU must maintain some form of relations with Russia in the long term. "I have lost trust in Putin and Russia, despite having had friendly relations with him," Juncker admitted. "I was very surprised when Russia attacked Ukraine. I never believed this could or would happen. But we need, I wouldn't say 'normal' relations, but some form of relations with Russia. Russia is part of Europe, and we cannot change geography. Russia will remain where it is." Ukraine was granted candidate status in June 2022, mere months after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, which is now in its fourth year. Ukraine hopes to become a member by 2030. However, Juncker believes Ukraine is not yet ready for full EU membership. However, a limited membership which would allow access to the single market but not the right to vote. "The European Union must be cautious when admitting new members," Juncker said. "Ukraine is not ready for membership. Its economy is not yet prepared to fully participate in the European internal market. The state structure of Ukraine does not yet fully reflect core European values. There is still corruption in Ukraine."
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-EU Commission chief Juncker proposes European defence bonds
Former European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has proposed funding the defence expenditures of European nations through joint bonds. "That the Bundeswehr needs more money, like other armies in Europe, is beyond question," Juncker told German news portal t-online, referring to the German Armed Forces, in remarks published on Saturday morning. He said that he believes the issue should not be resolved solely by German debt, but that European bonds should be issued to meet the financial challenge. However, Juncker noted that this is a long path, referencing the previous debate on Eurobonds, which were particularly contentious in Germany. "What I am proposing now and what was done in connection with the pandemic are purpose-bound European bonds," he said. Juncker criticized Europe's current defence policy as inadequate. "The European defence budgets are too meagre to be taken seriously," he said, adding that Europe urgently needs to become more independent. At present, he noted, "there are only two armies in Europe that would be ready for immediate deployment, and those are the French and British." In addition to increased investments, Juncker called for structural reforms: "If we organized procurement in Europe a bit more sensibly, with fewer weapon types, fewer tank types, fewer helicopter types, we could save €100 billion [$104 billion] per year." Juncker is also aware of the difficulties in implementing this proposal. He mentioned that there are "national domains that people are reluctant to relinquish. The Germans will never give up building their own tanks," he said.
Euronews
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Ukraine should get limited EU membership, former Commission chief Juncker says
Ukraine is not ready for full-fledged membership in the European Union, and instead should be offered a limited one, says former European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker. In an interview with Euronews, Juncker cautioned that the EU needs to be 'very careful' about admitting new members. Corruption, a weak economy and a lack of state structure make Ukraine inadmissible for membership for now, said Juncker. He advised Brussels to offer a second-tier membership which would include access to the single market, a voice on crucial debates, but no vote at the table. Juncker said he accepted Kyiv was making progress on tackling corruption and "de-oligarchisation" but says he'd be more in favour of a 'membership which would not be a total membership.' Ukraine could have access to the EU but not have a vote at the European Council, where all 27 member states debate and vote on crucial matters affecting the bloc, he added. "No vote in the Council, but participation in European debates on issues of interest and concern for Ukraine," Juncker told Euronews. "We don't want to give them the impression they are far away from membership but show they are on the way to membership without having all the rights and all the possibilities of real membership," he said. Juncker, who presided over the EU's top executive body from 2014 to 2019, said he regretted how the Commission dealt with problematic member states such as Hungary and Slovakia, who were often criticised for breaching EU laws. "This was a failure, both by those countries and by the European Union," he said. "We treated the situation with benign neglect. You have to be very strict, as recent experiences have shown, when it comes to the respect of rule of law. It's of the essence of European unification and integration," Juncker concluded. The EU leaders have backed Ukraine's membership bid as recently as Monday, with European Council President Antonio Costa saying that Ukraine's accession to the block would be the most important security guarantee for the future of the country. Ukraine formally applied to join the EU on 28 February 2022 — mere days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, now in its fourth year — and is hoping to join by 2030.
