This Thursday, the European Parliament hosts the third and final debate before the European elections to be held from June 6 to 9 between the candidates of the main European parties – with the great absence of far-right parties – in which, a Once again, the current president of the European Commission and candidate to repeat the position, the conservative Ursula von der Leyen, will be in the first line of attack against the rest of her opponents.
During the almost two-hour meeting, which takes place in the chamber in Brussels, in addition to the German Von der Leyen, on behalf of the European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) candidate, the Luxembourger Nicolas Schmit, will participate. ; the liberal of Renew Sandro Gozi; the also German and Green candidate Terry Reintke (who shares the head of the list with the Dutch Bas Eickhout), and the Left candidate, the Austrian Walter Baier.
They are all formally spitzenkandidaten, that is, candidates to preside over the European Commission, although the only real contender is Von der Leyen. In any case, the figure of spitzenkandidata system that allows political parties to designate their own candidates for the presidency of the Commission, has been practically considered dead since the last elections, in 2019, when Von der Leyen did not leave that party list but was elected by the European heads of State and Government.
The formations furthest to the right of the European Chamber, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR, where Vox sits) and Identity and Democracy (which welcomes the most ultra formations, from the Alternative for Germany, AfD, to the National Regrouping of the French Marine Le Pen) are not present, having been formally disqualified because they have not presented a main candidate of their own.
Their absence has, however, been questioned, given that it is these formations that, according to voting projections, will probably emerge more strengthened from the elections of June 6 to 9, which could cause a strong shake in the current balance of forces of the European Chamber. Precisely for this reason, because the traditional alliance of pro-European parties EPP, S&D and Renew that has until now managed to get a good part of the agenda and guarantee the European vision of the legislative chamber is in question, many of the looks – and attacks – will return to be focused on Von der Leyen. Despite growing questions, the German has so far refused to close the door to an alliance after the elections with any of the groups to the right of her formation, especially with certain members of ECR, where the Brothers of Italy, of the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with whom the German has strengthened ties in the last year.
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