'Spitzenkandidaten': The underlying story

'Spitzenkandidaten', lead candidates for European Commission President, appeared on stage for the first time in the run-up to the May 22-25 EU 2014 elections. As a result of the European elections and the new composition of the Parliament, Jean-Claude Juncker was then elected president of the Commission. Four of the lead candidates now give their insights into this historic electoral race in a video reportage.

In the video, key players and commentators assess the historic importance of last year’s elections, in which EU citizens not only voted for their representatives to the European Parliament, but also had their first-ever say in who was to run the European Commission. This political innovation opened up new prospects for EU democracy, because Commission presidents had hitherto been appointed by “consensus” among EU member states.

Insights into what happened, and how, are given by Spitzenkandidaten Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz, Alexis Tsipras and Ska Keller, who were named by Europe’s leading political families to give a human face to their pan-European campaigns and run for Commission President. The video includes observations by crucial observers, players, and experts including Parliament’s Secretary-General and a leading journalist.

The reportage asks how the idea was born, what reluctance had to be overcome, what role the media played and what the advent of the Spitzenkandidaten process promises for the EU institutional setup, democracy and politics. It also looks ahead to what we expect in 2019 and beyond.