Watch it live debate between the candidates for his/her position president of the European Commission which takes place in the hall of the European Parliament in Brussels.

The “Eurovision Debate” features Walter Baier (Austria, European Left), Sandro Gozi (Italy, Renew Europe Now), Ursula von der Leyen (Germany, European People’s Party), Terry Reintke (Germany, European Greens) and Nicolas Schmit ( Luxembourg, Party of European Socialists).

Ursula von der Leyen: Pro-Europe, pro-Ukraine, anti-Putin and pro-rule of law partnerships

The importance of establishing clear principles in relation to with whom there will be cooperation after the European elections was underlined by the President of the Commission and candidate of the EPP for the presidency of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in the telefight for who will be the head of the Commission, clarifying that one must be pro-Ukraine and anti-Putin, pro-Europe and pro-rule of law.

Nicolas Schmitt: I do not consider the EPP or the Eurogroup “Identity and Democracy” to be democratic forces

“I am ready to cooperate with all democratic forces, but I do not consider the European People’s Party (EPP/ECR) or the “Identity and Democracy” (ID) group in the European Parliament to be democratic forces,” said the Social Affairs Commissioner and candidate of Socialists for the presidency of the Commission, Nicolas Schmidt, during the telephone battle for who will be the head of the European Commission for the next five years.

The debate, which is organized for the first time by the European Parliament, in collaboration with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), gives the citizens of Europe the opportunity to ask their questions directly, specifically from the audience in the plenary hall, from viewers attending the on-site events of the Offices of Parliament in the EU Member States, as well as from citizens on social media

Greece is among the 8 EU countries participating in this innovation, asking a question live during the Eurovision Debate, directly from the European Parliament Office in Greece.

Topics will be discussed around:

  • Economy and jobs
  • Defense and security
  • Climate and environment
  • Democracy and leadership
  • Immigration and border policy
  • Innovation and technology

The discussion is moderated by Martin Řezníček (Czech TV, Czech Republic) and Annelies Beck (VRT, Belgium).

Candidates will also be asked to answer personalized ‘spotlight’ questions from the moderators. This new question-and-answer format, known as a ‘spotlight’, will be used for the first time in the 2024 debate.

Candidates will speak in English and interpretation will be provided in 24 languages.

The draw held by the EBU at the European Parliament on 16 May determined the position of the candidates on the debate stage, the first speaker for each topic and the order of the ‘spotlight’ interviews.

The position of the candidates on stage will be as follows (from left to right): Ursula von der Leyen, Nicolas Schmit, Terry Reintke, Sandro Gozi, Walter Baier.

Each candidate will speak first in at least one thematic section, in the following order: Nicolas Schmit, Sandro Gozi, Ursula von der Leyen, Walter Baier, Terry Reintke, Nicolas Schmit.

The series of “in the spotlight” interviews will be as follows: Nicolas Schmit, Sandro Gozi, Terry Reintke, Ursula von der Leyen, Walter Baier.