EU leaders may meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Brussels this week to discuss the fierce battle for one of the bloc's top jobs, European Council president Herman Van Rompuy said Wednesday.
A bitter row has broken out over the prospect of ex-Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude Juncker replacing Jose Manuel Barroso as head of the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm.
Britain has reportedly argued that choosing federalist Juncker could force it out of the EU. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who backs Juncker, slammed such arguments on Wednesday as "unacceptable."
Van Rompuy said the issue could be discussed by European leaders attending the Group of Seven rich nations summit in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.
"When we are meeting here, there will be occasions to discuss other issues than on the agenda of the G7," Van Rompuy told a news conference alongside Barroso.
"And it is not excluded that we discuss these upcoming nominations. This is always a possibility but again it is not on the agenda."
Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will all be at the G7.
Barroso is due to vacate the post later this year.
Van Rompuy also played down a report in Britain's top selling tabloid The Sun dubbing Juncker "The Most Dangerous Man in Europe".
"If articles in the press made my work difficult, I would not elaborate on this. I am for 30 years in politics, I am not reading the papers every day -- I have a mission and I will continue my mission."
EU leaders have traditionally named the Commission head on their own, but under new rules they now have to "take into account" the results of European parliamentary elections last month, though exactly what that means remains unclear.
Juncker, the former head of the Eurogroup of nations that use the single currency and prime minister of Luxembourg for 19 years, was the chosen candidate of the centre-right bloc that won most seats in the parliamentary elections.
Britain argues that having an EU insider in the Commission's top job will further alienate voters who have already deserted mainstream parties in droves to support eurosceptic and far-right groups in the EU parliament elections.
Cameron has already pledged to hold a referendum on Britain's EU membership in 2017.
But according to Germany's Der Speigel, he told Merkel last week that picking Juncker could destabilise his government to the extent that it has to bring the vote forward.
EU leaders may meet on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Brussels this week to discuss the fierce battle for one of the bloc’s top jobs, European Council president Herman Van Rompuy said Wednesday.
A bitter row has broken out over the prospect of ex-Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude Juncker replacing Jose Manuel Barroso as head of the European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm.
Britain has reportedly argued that choosing federalist Juncker could force it out of the EU. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who backs Juncker, slammed such arguments on Wednesday as “unacceptable.”
Van Rompuy said the issue could be discussed by European leaders attending the Group of Seven rich nations summit in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday.
“When we are meeting here, there will be occasions to discuss other issues than on the agenda of the G7,” Van Rompuy told a news conference alongside Barroso.
“And it is not excluded that we discuss these upcoming nominations. This is always a possibility but again it is not on the agenda.”
Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi will all be at the G7.
Barroso is due to vacate the post later this year.
Van Rompuy also played down a report in Britain’s top selling tabloid The Sun dubbing Juncker “The Most Dangerous Man in Europe”.
“If articles in the press made my work difficult, I would not elaborate on this. I am for 30 years in politics, I am not reading the papers every day — I have a mission and I will continue my mission.”
EU leaders have traditionally named the Commission head on their own, but under new rules they now have to “take into account” the results of European parliamentary elections last month, though exactly what that means remains unclear.
Juncker, the former head of the Eurogroup of nations that use the single currency and prime minister of Luxembourg for 19 years, was the chosen candidate of the centre-right bloc that won most seats in the parliamentary elections.
Britain argues that having an EU insider in the Commission’s top job will further alienate voters who have already deserted mainstream parties in droves to support eurosceptic and far-right groups in the EU parliament elections.
Cameron has already pledged to hold a referendum on Britain’s EU membership in 2017.
But according to Germany’s Der Speigel, he told Merkel last week that picking Juncker could destabilise his government to the extent that it has to bring the vote forward.
