EU's Katainen says Weber well placed to replace Juncker after EU election

European Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen arrives at a weekly college meeting of the EU executive in Brussels, Belgium, February 27, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

HELSINKI (Reuters) - EU Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen said Manfred Weber, who heads the European Parliament's conservative EPP group, was well placed to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as Commission president.

"I'd say Manfred Weber's position is quite strong at the moment," Katainen told reporters in Helsinki after the EPP retained its status as the largest grouping in the 751-seat legislature, though its share of the vote fell.