President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker | Petras Malukas/AFP via Getty Images Juncker: Far right has not been vanquished Commission president says EU must speak to citizens ‘in an understandable way.’

TALLINN — The EU's battle against populism is not done.

Despite victories of pro-European candidates in a series of major national elections in recent months, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Friday that the bloc must remain vigilant against populist, right-wing politics.

"I was very happy when Emmanuel Macron was elected, but the danger of the far extreme right forces still exists," Juncker said during a news conference in Tallinn to mark the start of Estonia's presidency of the Council of the EU.

"Don't believe that this is over," Juncker said, answering a question about the results of the French presidential election — in which Macron defeated far-right leader Marine Le Pen — and efforts by Brussels to address anti-EU sentiment and to appeal to younger Europeans.

"Le Pen got 11 million votes — not only youngsters, and I don't believe that young people would be more attracted by this simplification, the populistic wording of the extreme right," Juncker said, standing alongside Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas. "I don't think that this is the case."

Juncker said aggressive outreach to citizens was continuing and that he was making a concerted effort to push EU commissioners out of the Brussels bubble.

"I am trying to use a non-technical wording when addressing Europeans," Juncker said. "It's dangerous ... but we have to explain ourselves in an understandable way. That's the reason why I have decided to send all the commissioners throughout Europe. They were having more than 300 visits in national parliaments, debates with national social partners, we have had something like 200 citizens' dialogues."

"So we are trying to be close to people," he added. "We are not prisoners in Brussels."

At the news conference, which focused on Estonia's plan to dedicate its presidency to promoting digital innovation and e-government services, Juncker admitted that he was not exactly up with the latest technology.

"I shouldn't say but I have to say it," Juncker confessed. "I still don't have a smartphone. So I couldn't become prime minister in Estonia, this would be totally impossible."

He joked that his invitation to the opening festivities in Estonia had to be sent by regular post. "Jüri knows that," Juncker said turning to the Estonian premier, "which is why he sent me, like in the 19th century, a postcard inviting me to Tallinn. ... Even without being a techie, I know that our future is digital. Digital is the DNA of your country and it needs to become part of the European DNA."