MEPs have been reacting to Jean Claude Juncker’s speech.
Far-reaching reforms, including the potential merging of the EU Commission and Council president’s roles and a finance minister for the Eurozone have prompted debate.
“I personally don’t think we need a new minister but we now essentially have two, we have the head of the eurogroup and we have the commissionner for economic affairs, if merge these two , we can actually save the post and have a ful time leader of th eeurogroup, which will certainly be useful,” said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff from the ALDE Party.
Juncker reached out to central Europe, amid claims that differences in policy are re-opening the old east-west divide.
“The Hungarian prime minister told many times that of course we understand what rule of law is but we understand on other way, our interpreattion is another one about the rule of law and therefore I don t think that there will be much changes in the policy of th Hungarian government,” said Pieter Niedermuller from the Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.
The reaction from UKIP’s Nigel Farage was fairly predictable.
“Thank goodness, chaps, we are out, thank God, we are out, in the nick of time”