Juncker the Cnut Desperately Struggles to Hold Back Tide of EU Failures

Legend has it that King Cnut showed his courtiers he could command the waves to roll back from his throne, as it sat in sand beside the incoming tide, in an effort to prove his omnipotence. Others say it was a futile gesture actually performed to prove to his servants that he was not all-powerful. Either way the legend of Cnut lives on.

Juncker has called on EU President-elect Donald Trump to urgently let the EU know what his intentions are — particularly on the controversial EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investments Partnership (TTIP) agreement — which had already run into major opposition before Trump took to the presidential trail lambasting such trade deals.

"We would like to know how things will proceed with global trade policy. We would like to know what intentions he has regarding the (NATO) alliance. We must know what climate policies he intends to pursue. This must be cleared up in the next few months," Juncker said at a business event in Berlin, referring to Trump's agenda.

He may not have helped his cause with Trump by telling a meeting in Brussels:

"We have to do our utmost to keep the Transatlantic relationship on track. Presidents come and go."

Juncker's desperate plea for clarity on the trade deal — which has been attacked by politicians and pressure groups for the secretive nature of its negotiations, its alleged granting of power to large multinational companies and its controversial investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system — is a further example of his increasing isolation in Europe over his pursuit of unpopular goals.

Migrant Mess

Juncker's central answer to the European migrant crisis was a plan to relocate 160,000 refugees from Greece and Italy to each EU member state, according to a mandatory quota system, which has been in chaos since it was "agreed" in September 2015.

Many countries — particularly in Eastern Europe — have refused to go along with the scheme, with both Slovakia and Hungary challenging the scheme in the European Court of Justice.

The migrant crisis has divided the EU, with many countries erecting border controls — including razor wire fences — to stem the flow of migrants flooding into Europe from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, neighboring refugee camps in the Middle East, as well as Africa. Despite this, Juncker is still backing the plan.

Meanwhile, Juncker's backing of the EU-Turkey migrant deal — under which "irregular migrants" — those rejected asylum from Greece — would be relocated back to Turkey in return for the acceleration of Turkey's membership of the EU, has run into major difficulties, with many saying the deal is now dead.

Euro Crisis

Juncker is also in trouble over the Stability and Growth Pact in the Eurozone single currency area under which all members have to stay within the limits on government deficit (3 percent of GDP) and debt (60 percent of GDP).

Spain and Portugal have been in breach of the pact, but have been spared sanctions "as this would only undermine investment, harm their economies and alienate their citizens from the EU project," according to the European Parliament.

Juncker's insistence that Greece implements devastating public service cuts and tax increases in an effort to stay within the single currency area — in spite of two (and possibly three) bailout failures — has led to damning criticism from both Greece and its southern European neighbors.

As Europe struggles to deal with what Juncker himself admits is an "existential crisis" but nonetheless continues to press the case for so many projects that are manifestly failing, Juncker cuts a lone figure on the shoreline of Europe. Juncker the Great or Juncker the Cnut?