Brussels: The nominee to head the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, faced down jeers by British eurosceptics as he argued Tuesday that the euro single currency was a good thing for Europe.
"The single currency does not divide Europe, it protects Europe," Juncker said in a speech to the European Parliament before lawmakers were to vote on his appointment.
He said the era of "monetary war" and the "loss of dignity" for states forced into devaluation was over.
"Rubbish!" cried out an MEP from UKIP, the party that came out on top in Britain during European elections in May.
Juncker also argued for improved economic governance in the eurozone and an end to the "ridiculous" contradiction of being one of the strongest currencies in the world but represented by leaders who often contradict each other.
"We had to repair a burning plane in mid-flight," Junker said in reference to the eurozone debt crisis in which he played a key role as head of the Eurogroup in trying to find solutions.
"We made mistakes," he said, because "repairing a plane in flight is not easy, sometimes we burn our fingers."
