European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reacts during his meeting with the Finnish Prime Minister (not pictured) at the House of the Estates during the visit to the College of Commissioners of the European Commission in Helsinki, Finland, July 5, 2019. Emmi Korhonen/Lehtikuva via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the process to appoint his successor, Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen, was not transparent and marked an unwelcome break with the practice of choosing parties’ lead candidates.

“The process was not very transparent,” Juncker told a news conference in Helsinki on Friday, replying to a question about how EU leaders this week selected the next president of the EU executive. The nominee requires European Parliament approval.

He added that his appointment five years ago was transparent as he was chosen by leaders after having campaigned in European elections.

“Unfortunately it did not become a tradition,” Juncker said. “I was the first and the last spitzenkandidat,” he added, using the German word for lead candidate in EU elections.