Juncker's sacrifice was his triumph

At their meeting on Tuesday the finance ministers of the Euro Group gave their current boss Jean-Claude Juncker a new mandate for a maximum of two and a half years. For Juncker this is a triumph even though he is said to be weary of the post, the left-liberal daily Le Quotidien concludes: "The German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, who had seriously flirted with the post, was left empty-handed. The harmony between Europe's two most powerful countries [Germany and France] seems a little dented, something Juncker, who was always distrustful of the Merkozy duo's dominance, no doubt regards with satisfaction. But Juncker's greatest triumph is the compromise he made contingent on his agreement to stay in office. The precondition stipulated by the [Luxembourg] prime minister will no doubt open the doors of the ECB Executive Board to the head of Luxembourg's central bank, Yves Mersch, after several failed attempts. This clever move by Juncker, his 'sacrifice', will consolidate Luxembourg's place on the European stage."

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