Juncker

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker declined on Saturday to take a phone call from Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras because Athens has not yet sent in reform proposals that it promised for Thursday, an EU official said.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said Thursday "challenging" negotiations with Greece would continue, after late night talks with premier Alexis Tsipras broke up without a deal.

"I was sleeping three hours after having had long challenging discussions and negotiations with the Greek prime minister," Juncker told a committee hearing at the European Parliament.

A few hours before the meeting between Alexis Tsipras and Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels, European officials send clear messages that there will be no developments on the Greek matter today, but it is “almost 100% certain that tomorrow, an agreement between Greece and its lenders will be announced”.

By Jan Strupczewski

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Some eurozone countries are accusing the European Commission of giving Greece false hope of new loans for less reform effort, but they still want Brussels to find a way to keep a defiant Athens in the euro.

Aides to European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker went to his defence Tuesday for shirking protocol when he greeted leaders at an EU summit last week, saying he was known for his "cool style."

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker teased Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban over his strongman reputation Friday, jokingly greeting him as "dictator" as he arrived at an EU summit in Riga.
 

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday greeted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban with the words, "hello, dictator."

AFP said in its report that Juncker in this way "teased Orban over his strongman reputation."

On the second day of a European Union leaders' summit in Riga, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday for talks on the progress of negotiations between Greece and its creditors and its prospects.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has vowed never to wear a tie until he had secured a deal for Greece. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker grabbed the Greek PM at the European Council meeting of EU leaders at Riga, Latvia, on Friday and shared his tie with him. Earlier, Juncker had told German weekly business news magazine, WirtschaftsWoche, that Greece needs to stay in the euro.

By Jonathan Stearns

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he expects an international agreement unlocking emergency aid for Greece to be reached by early next month.