Former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has expressed clear criticism of the Austrian government’s European policies and has also sent a clear message to the ÖVP. Juncker pointed out in this regard that as a Christian Democrat he was “on the road with the ÖVP in the EPP”. “I think of the ÖVP: it is not enough to take up the cause of ‘Christian’, but not to carry it in your heart,” he said.
Juncker also questioned the ability of the turquoise-green coalition to act. “For me, this is no longer a government in the traditional sense. Governments are there to rule. Not to stay in the cabinet despite major differences,” Juncker told Furche weekly, referring to the disagreements between the ÖVP and the Greens. The Schengen veto made him “sad”.
Relationship with Kurz “difficult”: “He was against it at first”
He characterized his relationship with then Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) as “difficult, because I always had to spend a lot of time explaining the dominant European to him. I’ve been through a lot there. Kurz was against it in principle – against everything that came from Europe. But in the end he always fell in line.”
Juncker described the EU corruption scandal as “absolutely cursed”. “But what we see here in Brussels only affects small parts of the European Parliament,” he stressed. There are “some people in the European Parliament who are lazy. But there are many who work hard and know more than some government leaders.”
‘Actually, I really liked Putin’
In the interview, Juncker also elaborated on his political and personal relationship with Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin, whom he “actually loved very much”. After meeting during Luxembourg’s presidency of the EU Council in 2005, he was asked to come to his “private apartments” and take him to his own chapel. “Then we knelt down and were blessed by a priest that our conversation could go well. It was an almost intimate moment. We talked about his private life, he tried very hard for me. It’s almost impossible to say that today, but our relationship back then can be described as friendly.”
Over the years, Putin said in private conversations “with increasing inclination” that the West had betrayed him, Juncker continued. Still, he thought it was “unthinkable” that Putin would attack Ukraine. “I was absolutely convinced that this war was not coming.” Juncker now believes there can be no peace with the Russian ruler.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
