Juncker is new EU leader despite British wishes

Published June 27, 2014 5:33pm ET



BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders on Friday picked former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker to become the bloc’s new chief executive despite Britain’s outspoken opposition, further alienating the U.K. from its continental partners.

With the move, the EU leaders broke a decades-old tradition of choosing the president of the European Commission by consensus. Summit chairman Herman Van Rompuy said 26 of the bloc’s 28 countries voted for Juncker, with only Britain and Hungary opposing him.

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