Germany's Schaeuble defends Juncker against drinking allegations

Juncker was confirmed by EU leaders last week as their candidate for the Commission post, but only after a fierce campaign in Britain to prevent the former Luxembourg prime minister from securing the top European Union job.

One British newspaper quoted an unnamed source as saying Juncker, the long-time head of the Eurogroup forum of euro zone finance ministers, drank cognac for breakfast.

"I've been a member of the Eurogroup since late-2009 and I have never experienced ? neither in the afternoon nor the evening nor early in the morning nor after long night sessions ? that anyone, let alone Jean-Claude Juncker, was drunk," Schaeuble told the foreign correspondents association in Berlin.

"I never said Jean-Claude Juncker was abstinent. I also drink sometimes, including in Eurogroup meetings, where it can happen that I have a glass of wine with dinner. Then he drinks beer. But I've never experienced him drunk," Schaeuble said.

Juncker's successor as chairman of the Eurogroup, Dutchman Jeroen Dijsselbloem, told a Dutch television programme in January that Juncker smoked and drank heavily in meetings.

Juncker has denied having an alcohol problem.

"As far as I'm aware, Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who is a good chairman of the Eurogroup, has expressed his regret that that's how he was understood," Schaeuble said.

Juncker, 59, a veteran deal-broker at EU summits for more than two decades, is due to go before the European Parliament for a confirmation vote on July 16, where he is likely to win a majority of centre-right and centre-left lawmakers.

Schaeuble said he believe Juncker would be a "very capable" EU Commission chief.

(Reporting by Annika Breidthardt; Editing by Noah Barkin and Louise Ireland)