A lawyer by trade, Juncker has reacted to the appointment saying: “It’s a great honour for me to take over the leadership of the ERA Foundation. I’m particularly pleased to take on this role because, as finance minister of Luxembourg in the early nineties, I worked intensively to support the establishment of the ERA. I have succeeded Jacques Santer in a number of roles in my career and now it is a pleasure for me to complete the circle by leading this well-functioning Academy that I worked towards setting up all those years ago.”

The ERA, founded in 1992, serves as a practice and debate centre for legal practitioners like lawyers and judges, in order to raise awareness for a deeper understanding of European law and its practice. Considering his career path, the ERA elected Juncker as “he has personified the development of the European Union as a community of law--and would be the perfect ambassador for the ERA as it embarks on the next stage of its development,” revealed the ERA .

Juncker steps into the role as former prime minister Jacques Santer leaves following a 21 year-long tenure, with Hendrik Hering, president of the parliament of state of Rhineland-Palatinate as his vice-president.