EU Presidential Debate: lead candidate Frans Timmermans (PES)

Source: European Parliament (EP) i, published on Monday, May 6 2019.

Access to video: Frans Timmermans profile

(Video duration:01:44)

Frans Timmermans will be one of the candidates for the presidency of the European Commission taking part in a live Eurovision debate at the Parliament in Brussels on 15 May.

About Timmermans

Name: Frans Timmermans

European political party: Party of European Socialists (PES)

Nationality: Dutch

Age: 58

Career: 2014 - first vice-president of the European Commission

2012 - 2014 - minister of foreign affairs

2007 - 2010 - minister of European affairs

1998 - 2007 - MP

1985 - degree in French language and literature, Radboud University

About the debate

Political parties put forward candidates for the post of president of the European Commission ahead of the European elections. The lead candidate nominated by the Council, and able to command a majority in Parliament, will be elected President of the European Commission by a vote of Parliament.

The lead candidates are sometimes referred to by the German term spitzenkandidaten. This system was first used in 2014 to select current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The Presidential Debate - EU Elections 2019 on 15 May at 21.00 CET is an opportunity to discover where the lead candidates stand on a range of issues.

Some political parties have nominated more than one lead candidate, but have nominated a single candidate to represent them in the debate.

Two TV moderators will host the debate. Lots were drawn to determine the speaking order.

The PES is aligned with the S&D group in Parliament.

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Created: 08-05-2019 - 09:05