Given that Juncker’s proposal at a minimum would require the unanimous support of EU leaders, the initial reaction to his call to combine the two top jobs in Brussels suggested it would not fly anytime soon.
Speaking to German public broadcaster ARD after his address, Juncker acknowledged that he was “not expecting to clap their house in excitement” about the proposal. [...]
Tusk, a former Polish prime minister, and his sole predecessor, former Belgian premier Herman Van Rompuy, have fashioned the job into a neutral advocate for national leaders in Brussels, simultaneously a defender of European integration and national sovereignty and sensibilities.
The possibility that the Council would vote to eliminate that role seemed far-fetched, and several EU officials and diplomats suggested Juncker was playing to his audience in the European Parliament, where federalist sentiment is strong. Some said Juncker was savvy enough to realize it was an old and unrealistic idea, and he put it forward primarily to stir debate. [...]
Some European officials said they were more perplexed by Juncker’s decision to push the idea than they were opposed to it. One senior diplomat called it “a deliberate provocation to stir up debate” on an issue that has long been limited to “theoretical discussions.”
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