Footage of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stumbling and being helped down stairs by world leaders has sparked fresh speculations as to whether he was drunk while on duty, whereas others are fearing for his health condition.
European leaders, including Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, stepped in to support Jean-Claude Juncker, who was seen swaying and losing his balances several times at an event at Parc du Cinquantenaire in Brussels on Wednesday.
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He was caught on camera struggling to walk down stairs and being held by the arm, nearly falling over backwards onto President Poroshenko.
Media outlets have speculated that the EU chief has drinking problems, with social media users dismissing his behavior as “embarrassing.”
In light of media speculation, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas decided to clarify the situation even though Juncker's office had earlier declined to comment the incident, citing privacy concerns:
“The president Wednesday night suffered from a very particularly painful attack of sciatica accompanied by cramps. The president has himself publicly stated that this sciatica affects his ability to walk. That was unfortunately the case Wednesday night. The president wishes to thank publicly Prime Ministers Mark Rutte and Antonio Costa…
