The surprise appointment of the German defence minister to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission president will do nothing to reassure those who accuse the EU of being undemocratic and unaccountable
Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), arrives to a news conference during the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, April 20, 2017. The emergence of protectionist forces could undermine a modest brightening of the global growth outlook and is putting severe strain on the post-World War II economic order, the IMF said this week. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Eoin O'Hara
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First Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans (R) arrives to take part in a debate on the preparation of the upcoming European Council meeting of March 21 and 22 and UK's withdrawal from the EU during a plenary session at the European Parliament on March 13, 2019 in Strasbourg, eastern France. - The European Union will have to hear from Britain how it plans to deliver a divorce deal agreement before deciding whether to delay Brexit, Brexit's negotiator said on March 13. (Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP) (Photo credit should read FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP/Getty Images)
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Eoin O'Hara
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MADRID, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 6, 2018: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) and Spain's Foreign Minister Josep Borrell shake hands during a meeting. Alexander Shcherbak/TASS (Photo by Alexander ShcherbakTASS via Getty Images)
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Eoin O'Hara
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German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen arrives for the weekly cabinet meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on June 6, 2018. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP) (Photo credit should read TOBIAS SCHWARZ/AFP/Getty Images)
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Eoin O'Hara
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Manfred Weber, lead candidate of the European People's Party (EPP), right, arrives for a European Commission presidential candidate debate in the European Union (EU) parliament building in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, May 15, 2019. Incumbent European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's five tear term ends in October. Photographer: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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Eoin O'Hara
