European Parliament approves Juncker as Commission head

STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Parliament approved on Tuesday former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission, which shapes policy for the EU's 500 million citizens.

Juncker, 59, will take up the five-year post as soon as a new Commission is formed, which is expected to happen on Nov. 1 but could take longer. He will succeed Jose Manuel Barroso of Portugal who has held the post for 10 years.


(Reporting by Julia Fioretti; editing by Robin Emmott)