Who should be the next EU Commission President? Which of the Spitzenkandidaten do you support? With just three days to go until the European Parliament elections, we’re putting your questions to some of the lead-candidates for Europe’s top job.

Today we’re talking to Violeta Tomič and Nico Cué, the candidate for the Party of European Left (PEL). If you want to know more about their history and background, then be sure to check out our candidate profiles. What would they have to say to our readers?

First up, what would his top priorities be? We had a comment sent in from Jose, who wanted to know what the priorities for the next European Commission should be. What should it focus on after the European Parliament elections? Should it make a radical break with the last five years? Push for more modest reforms? Or stick with the course the EU is currently on?

How would Violeta Tomič respond?

My priority is the democratisation of European Union institutions, i.e. people instead of the rule of capital. The European Commission and European Central Bank have almost dictatorial authority, with an army of 80,000 lobbyists. We urgently need to reduce the powers of the European Commission and transfer that power to democratically-elected bodies, Member States’ parliaments and the European Parliament.

Next up, we had a comment from Hector, who says (citing Eurobarometer) that trust in the EU has still not recovered since the Eurozone crisis. Looking at the numbers, this does seem to be the case (average trust in the EU was indeed higher before 2012, though there have been signs of improvement in the last couple of years). How would Violeta Tomič help restore trust in the EU?

Europe will be social or it will disintegrate. After a decade of trying to solve the financial crisis, the European Union is still in bad shape, with growing nationalism and xenophobia. The rule of political elites and financial oligarchies must end. Public interests must come first; we must break the rule of financial markets and private capital.

Next, we had a comment from Cyril, who wants to know what’s the best way to create jobs and tackle unemployment. He suggests either greater public investment, lower taxes, or a comprehensive reform of tax systems to benefits working and middle class households. What would Nico Cué say?

Finally, we had a comment from Ironworker, who says he’s confused by the debate over immigration. How should we think about migration? Is it good or bad for Europe? Or is it impossible to simplify such a complex issue that way? What would Nico Cué say?

Will you support Violeta Tomič and Nico Cué for EU Commission President? Or would you prefer one of the other candidates? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!

Image Credits: (c) European Left