"This is a bad day for Europe, it risks undermining the position of national governments," Cameron said after EU leaders voted 26-2 for the former Luxembourg premier to replace Jose Manuel Barroso.
Asked if Britain was closer to an exit from the 28-member bloc as a result, Cameron said, "The job has got harder of keeping Britain in a reformed European Union... Do I think it's an impossible job? No."
But for Britain to get its way on Europe "it is going to be a long, tough fight and frankly sometimes you have to be willing to lose a battle to win a war," Cameron said.
With the fight now over, leaders are expected to try and appease Cameron, potentially by offering London a top job in Brussels, but the dispute threatens to fuel eurosceptic sentiment in Britain ahead of a referendum on EU membership, to be held in 2017 if Cameron's Conservatives win next year's general election.
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