Photo Gallery Tensions Flare Ahead of EU Parliament Elections
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel hold a press conference at Number 10 Downing Street in London, in February 2014. Britain is unhappy with the prospect of Jean-Claude Juncker becoming the EU Commission president.
Luxembourg's former prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, is seen as one of the front-runners for the EU Commission president post. He is seen as too pro-integrationist by the governments of several EU countries.
Martin Schulz was elected as the top candidate of the Party of European Socialists in Rome. Resistance to Schulz is as sizeable as the resistance to Juncker.
Juncker speaks to German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Brussels in 2011. "Right now, the most likely outcome is that neither Schulz nor Juncker become Commission president," says one high-ranking EU diplomat.
In Europe's capitals, there is widespread discomfort about Martin Schulz -- shown here with German Chancellor Angela Merkel -- because, as president of the European Parliament, he challenged the European Council and exploited EU treaties to bolster the rights of the parliament. Many don't want a Commission president who is that politically calculating.
Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council, agrees with Merkel that there needs to be a consensus on the appointment of Europe's top job.
