EU urges minimum wage

Strasbourg - Designated European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday he would work towards the introduction of a minimum social wage in each member state of the European Union.

Addressing the European Parliament before a vote to confirm his appointment, Juncker said: "All countries in the European Union, we set in place a minimum social wage, a minimum income, a guaranteed minimum income."

He has previously said he favours each EU country setting a minimum wage as a proportion of its own median income, which varies widely between Luxembourg at the top and Romania and Bulgaria at the bottom.

In comments designed to win over centre-left lawmakers, the centre-right former Luxembourg prime minister also vowed to protect public services in Europe from what he called "the whims of the age" - an apparent reference to privatisation and restrictions on state aid.