BRUSSELS (AFP) – It’s a problem many people will be familiar with: forgetting to turn your phone off during an important meeting, then it rings with a call from home.
Except that for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker it apparently turned out to be from another key power player — German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Juncker was caught out during a press conference in Brussels with visiting Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, when his mobile went off in his suit jacket pocket.
“That’s my wife, sorry,” former Luxembourg prime minister Juncker said as he fished around in his pocket while Fico, EU officials and journalists waited.
He then checked his phone and announced with a chuckle: “No, it was Mrs Merkel!”
The 62-year-old Juncker, who is known for his informal style, then went on with the news conference.
Juncker admitted last month that he still does not have a smartphone, with officials saying that he relies instead on an old Nokia model.