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| MEPs back Juncker EU Commission team in key vote | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| MEPs have voted by a large majority in support of the new European Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker. | |
| The vote went 423 for, 209 against and there were 67 abstentions. It means the Commission can take office next month. | |
| The commissioners underwent gruelling cross-examination at individual hearings in the European Parliament. | |
| Mr Juncker reshuffled some appointments after objections from MEPs. The Commission drafts EU laws, oversees national budgets and enforces EU rules. | |
| UK Conservatives abstained from the vote. Other Eurosceptics, including UKIP, opposed the Commission, as did the Greens and leftists. But the main party blocs voted for the new team. | |
| The 28-strong team has one official from each EU nation. | |
| Speaking in French before the vote, Mr Juncker said it was "pathetic" that he had been unable to appoint more than nine women to the Commission, despite having urged national governments to put forward more women. MEPs applauded him for making that point. | |
| He asked MEPs to lobby their national parties to raise awareness about gender equality. | He asked MEPs to lobby their national parties to raise awareness about gender equality. |
| For many years he was prime minister of Luxembourg and is a veteran of EU integration efforts. | For many years he was prime minister of Luxembourg and is a veteran of EU integration efforts. |
| "I'm a bit embarrassed about this because Luxembourg didn't appoint a woman," he said, adding in English: "in the short term I won't be able to change my sex". | "I'm a bit embarrassed about this because Luxembourg didn't appoint a woman," he said, adding in English: "in the short term I won't be able to change my sex". |
| New structure | New structure |
| Mr Juncker is from the main centre-right bloc, the European People's Party (EPP), which won the May European elections. | Mr Juncker is from the main centre-right bloc, the European People's Party (EPP), which won the May European elections. |
| He has created the new post of first vice-president, appointing Frans Timmermans from the Netherlands, another EU veteran, with whom he has worked for many years. | He has created the new post of first vice-president, appointing Frans Timmermans from the Netherlands, another EU veteran, with whom he has worked for many years. |
| One of Mr Timmermans's key tasks is to look at the question of subsidiarity - that is, issues that can best be addressed at national rather than pan-European level. | One of Mr Timmermans's key tasks is to look at the question of subsidiarity - that is, issues that can best be addressed at national rather than pan-European level. |
| The UK and some other countries have urged the Commission to cut red tape and devolve more power to national governments. | The UK and some other countries have urged the Commission to cut red tape and devolve more power to national governments. |
| Mr Timmermans will also be responsible for sustainable development - something that MEPs had demanded during the hearings. | Mr Timmermans will also be responsible for sustainable development - something that MEPs had demanded during the hearings. |
| Other vice-presidents will oversee some other key areas, such as the EU budget, jobs and growth, and energy. | Other vice-presidents will oversee some other key areas, such as the EU budget, jobs and growth, and energy. |
| The UK's Lord Hill will be commissioner for financial services, overseeing banking - a post welcomed by the UK government. However, he had a rough ride in the hearings, as MEPs recalled him for a second round of questioning. | The UK's Lord Hill will be commissioner for financial services, overseeing banking - a post welcomed by the UK government. However, he had a rough ride in the hearings, as MEPs recalled him for a second round of questioning. |
| More overlap | More overlap |
| Mr Juncker regretted that only two eurozone countries had retained triple-A credit ratings - Germany and Luxembourg. | Mr Juncker regretted that only two eurozone countries had retained triple-A credit ratings - Germany and Luxembourg. |
| "I'd like the EU to equip itself with a social triple-A rating - that's just as important as an economic and financial triple A," he said. | "I'd like the EU to equip itself with a social triple-A rating - that's just as important as an economic and financial triple A," he said. |
| He also vowed to break down "silos" in the Commission, to end "commissioners working in their corner behind closed doors, which is a rather provincial approach". | He also vowed to break down "silos" in the Commission, to end "commissioners working in their corner behind closed doors, which is a rather provincial approach". |
| "The big loser of this new structure is me. I have delegated a lot of my presidential powers to the vice-presidents," he said. | "The big loser of this new structure is me. I have delegated a lot of my presidential powers to the vice-presidents," he said. |
| Under pressure from MEPs Mr Juncker nominated a different candidate from Slovenia - Violeta Bulc - to the post of transport commissioner. Slovenia's ex-PM Alenka Bratusek was the only candidate to be rejected by MEPs. | |
| He also named Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic as vice-president responsible for energy union, in another concession to MEPs. | He also named Slovakia's Maros Sefcovic as vice-president responsible for energy union, in another concession to MEPs. |
| Structure of the European Commission | |
| Vytenis Andriukaitis (Lithuania) Health and food safety | |
| Miguel Arias Canete (Spain) Climate action and energy | |
| Dimitris Avramopoulos (Greece) Migration and home affairs | |
| Elzbieta Bienkowska (Poland) Internal market, industry, entrepreneurship and SMEs (small and medium-sized businesses) | |
| Corina Cretu (Romania) Regional policy | |
| Johannes Hahn (Austria) European neighbourhood policy and enlargement negotiations | |
| Jonathan Hill (UK) Financial stability, financial services and capital markets union | |
| Phil Hogan (Ireland) Agriculture and rural development | |
| Vera Jourova (Czech Republic) Justice, consumers and gender equality | |
| Cecilia Malmstroem (Sweden) Trade | |
| Neven Mimica (Croatia) International co-operation and development | |
| Carlos Moedas (Portugal) Research, science and innovation | |
| Pierre Moscovici (France) Economic and financial affairs, taxation and customs | |
| Tibor Navracsics (Hungary) Education, culture, youth | |
| Guenther Oettinger (Germany) Digital economy and society | |
| Violeta Bulc (Slovenia) Transport and space | |
| Christos Stylianides (Cyprus) Humanitarian aid and crisis management | |
| Marianne Thyssen (Belgium) Employment, social affairs, skills and labour mobility | |
| Karmenu Vella (Malta) Environment, maritime affairs and fisheries | |
| Margrethe Vestager (Denmark) Competition |