Less than one month to go to the European Parliament elections! Do you already know who YOU want to vote for? On Tuesday 29th April, four candidates from the main European political parties running for the presidency of the European Commission, will face off at the European Parliament in Brussels in an EU-wide debate organised by Euranet Plus and focused on the big election issues.
So, who are these candidates? The debate will feature Jean-Claude Juncker, official candidate for the Centre-Right European People’s Party (you can see their manifesto here), Ska Keller, nominee for the Greens European Green Party (the Green’s top priorities are illustrated here), Martin Schulz, designated by the Social Democrats Party of European Socialists (whose manifesto is available here) and Guy Verhofstadt, for the Liberal Democrats Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (you can find the summary of their priorities here).
Who will be the next president of the European Commission? And how will he – or she – deal with the big election issues, like mobility, energy and unemployment?
Follow the Big Crunch Presidential Debate on Tuesday 29th April at 14:30 CET LIVE here and vote for the party YOU support in Vote 2014!
Vote 2014
Voting is closed in our Debating Europe Vote 2014! The results are now in, so come and see what our readers thought!
44 comments Post a commentcomment
Anybody but JC Junk.
How can we be sure that those phenomenologically beautiful promises will be fulfilled ?
who cares, as long as I can’t see all the candidates it’s not a real debate. #fail
too true
Whoever it is the “good old times” of the EC are over. I just wish the person in charge to be smart enough not to think that if there is a problem in the edge of the EU it will not move to the center of EU. Financial aids for Greece, corruption in Bulgaria, Italy’s external debt etc…
Europe needs an alternative voice,away of the popularism and secularism.Only Greens keep that balance and stand up for what matterd…GO SKA-GO GREENS!!!
There is a few missing…
Schultz
we dont care about which president we will have.. anyway it still the same lobbies that take decisions for all of us.
Why is Alexis Tsipras, candidate for EU Commission President not a participant?
He was invited, and he refused: http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2014/april/live-eu-candidates-debate-in-maastricht/80684.aspx
Junker any time!Bulgaria is with him!GERB and the EPP!We will win!
Ska Keller :)
Why does Amelia Andersdotter and Alexis Tsipras excluded from the debate ? …
Amelia Andersdotter is in the European Greens – Free European Alliance group so you can assume that Amelia Andersdotter is partially represented by Ska Keller. But I still think pirates are very different from other parties to be represented by someone else than themselves.
All have the same masters. Divide et Impera.
Quote “So, who are these candidates?”
Yes good question, who are they and who selected them? ..I certainly don’t remember ever being asked…democracy?…not a hope
Paul,
I’m sorry, but what are you talking about? These are the candidates put forward by the European political parties. They have been selected by members (or delegates) of the national parties that make up those Euro parties (with the exception of the Greens, who actually held an open primary that you could have voted in if you’d bothered).
These debates are a way for you to find out about the candidates, and then you vote for the party they represent if you agree with them and want to see them elected.
Unless you are a member of any of these parties, why should you have a say in the candidates they put forwards? Democracy? Actually, yes.
The Greens elected Ska as our candidate, and every single person in Europe was free to vote in the Green primary. Can’t comment on the others…
Do you know Alexis Tsipras (another candidate for EU Commission President) ? What about equal treatment “par conticio”? #Debateonlywithwhoyoudesire
Where are the other candidates?
Question to all of the candidates:
How do you want to empower the European Parliament, the only directly elected EU institution??
#EP2014
I was last night in Maastricht to see the debate, I thought that the performance was extremely poor and no real questions where addressed. This morning I was in Brussels for the press release of the current presidents Mr. Van Rompuy’s book Europe in the Storm. Having just finished this book I would like to ask the same question to all the candidates : what do they believe they personally can achieve and hope to gain as the European Unions future President?
#clearbluegreen party reported by #lukelamb
#EP2014
I was last night in Maastricht to see the debate, I thought that the performance was extremely poor and no real questions where addressed. This morning I was in Brussels for the press release of the current presidents Mr. Van Rompuy?s book Europe in the Storm. Having just finished this book I would like to ask the same question to all the candidates : what do they believe they personally can achieve and hope to gain as the European Unions future President?
#clearbluegreen party reported by #lukelamb
#EP2014
I was last night in Maastricht to see the debate, I thought that the performance was extremely poor and no real questions where addressed. This morning I was in Brussels for the press release of the current presidents Mr. Van Rompuy?s book Europe in the Storm. Having just finished this book I would like to ask the same question to all the candidates : what do they believe they personally can achieve and hope to gain as the European Unions future President?
#clearbluegreen party reported by #lukelamb
Let’s use the size of Europe to get off the crise.
How about treating all candidates equally? I can’t say I feel very welcome to ‘debate europe’ when my candidate is being censored..
For the record, Tsipras is not excluded, he chose not to participate last night or today.
@ James
“Unless you are a member of any of these parties, why should you have a say in the candidates they put forwards”
..and there in you hit the nail on the head….need I say more
In Europe Political parties usually select their candidates by letting their members vote, this is called Closed primary. In America Political parties usually select their candidates by letting any citizens vote, this is called Open Primary.
The reason for the difference? it’s generally because European elections use more proportional representation. For example in the USA, citizens are restricted between choosing Democrats or Republicans. While in Europe there is greater choice, since you have Socialists, Conservatives, Liberals, Greens, the Left and more.
However the European Greens held an online Open Primary (I voted for Ska Keller) where any EU citizen above 16 could vote for the Green candidate.
Je parle de un candidate qu’il y a d’une preparation politique positive. N’est pas portuguaise!
Why is Amelia Andersdotter excluded?
Germany, desease of the continent.
Who will be? Angela Merkel, of course. Juncker or Schulz will be the rpesidente. Juncker was chosen by Merkel. Schulz leads Germany (his party) along WITH Merkel. And you fools are still here debating????? GERMANY rules Europe, and Germany is ruled by a criminal called Merkel, which is again and again voted by the worst people in the continent!
I came to listen about that, but could not see the Pirate Party candidate.
This debate is useless.
I don`t like the choice of newscasters. They have to speak english fluently not like this…
Another day, another debate without the candidates of the European Pirates. But remember, we are here to stay and we are rising
Despite its shortcomings this debate is a more intelligent one than the one we are having in the UK at the moment. I wish it was on our TV as think general public in UK are being prevented from seeing what is happening in EU and what is on the minds of the MEPs etc. At least there is some debate in this programme better than no debate as in UK.
Look at http://www.standupforuseurope.eu/ and http://www.lenouveleuropeen.be for an alternative Europe, more centered on the citizen, and more united toward the international. Stand Up for the United States of Europe #EUdebate2014 #EP2014
Look at http://www.standupforuseurope.eu/ and http://www.lenouveleuropeen.be for an alternative Europe, more centered on the citizen, and more united toward the international. Stand Up for the United States of Europe #EUdebate2014 #EP2014
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyK8VtwN7io&index=34&list=PLVJ9id3A0ETDDkfEGpp-RUyFprsvuo3l7
We need democracy in Europe.
We need the Greens !
Go KELLER-BOVÉ !!!
I see the starting images fail to highlight London [the biggest and wealthiest city in the EU] and indeed Dublin.
Bit of a FREUDIAN slip hey what!!
The candidacy of Alexis Tsipras, the President of SYRIZA the Greek Radical Left party, for the presidency of the European Commission carries a strong symbolism. Greece has been the guinea pig in a huge neoliberal experiment which has led to a well-documented humanitarian crisis. The nomination of Tsipras as the candidate of the European Left party offers a ray of hope that neoliberalism and authoritarianism can be stopped and reversed.