( CNN ) -- Jean-Claude Juncker is a step closer to becoming the next president of the European Commission after EU leaders approved his nomination , despite strong opposition from Britain . Herman Van Rompuy , President of the European Council , announced in a tweet : `` Decision made . The European Council proposes Jean-Claude Juncker as the next President of the European Commission . '' Only British Prime Minister David Cameron and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban voted against Juncker . The former Luxembourg prime minister will represent the 28-strong union globally and become the answer to the question posed by American presidents for decades : `` Who do I call if I want to call Europe ? '' Negotiations over the post have been tricky . One of the most powerful European leaders , German Chancellor Angela Merkel , endorsed the former Luxembourg prime minister , who is a member of Europe 's strongest political party , the center-right EPP . Merkel and Juncker share views on closer cooperation and stricter fiscal discipline within the EU . Merkel 's endorsement was enough to defeat Cameron , who headed up a group campaigning against Juncker 's appointment in the lead-up to the summit in Brussels , arguing that Juncker was too federalist for the job . But as the decision neared , Cameron 's allies in Sweden and Denmark toned down their opposition and agreed to back Juncker for the job . When the leaders voted on the issue , Cameron found himself isolated , joined only by Hungary 's PM Orban . Cameron , facing pressures from euroskeptics at home , has criticized the EU as being `` too big and too bossy . '' A European president in favor of even closer cooperation -- as Juncker advocates -- runs against Cameron 's plans to reform the UK 's position within the Union and bring some power back to London . The EU election in May saw a surge in the support of euroskeptic parties across Europe , which also complicated Juncker 's path to the top job . But Juncker 's detractors have failed to come up with a viable alternative . Names floated included Christine Lagarde , the IMF chief , who rejected the idea ; and Denmark 's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt , famed for her selfie with U.S. President Barack Obama at Nelson Mandela 's memorial service last December . But no-one emerged as a strong enough candidate to challenge Juncker and his high-powered backers . The newly elected European Parliament will hold a formal vote on Juncker when it meets next week . This interactive feature may not display properly on some mobile devices .
Europe 's leaders nominate Jean - Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission . Last year , the European Parliament revealed cracks in the continent - wide bloc . Angela Merkel and David Cameron clashed over Merkel 's support for Hungary . Cameron forced a vote on issue , but only Hungarian President Viktor Orban backed him .