The Eurovision debate between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency will take place on Thursday 23 May from 15.00-16.45 in Parliament’s plenary chamber in Brussels.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which is organising the debate, has confirmed the participation of 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).
These five candidates will debate the following topics:
Economy and Jobs
Defence and Security
Climate and Environment
Democracy and Leadership
Migration and Borders
Innovation and Technology
Questions will be asked by the audience in the plenary chamber, by viewers watching from events organised by Parliament’s Liaison Offices in EU member states, submitted via social media, and by the two moderators. Candidates will also face one-on-one questioning by the moderators in so-called “Spotlight” segments, a new feature of the Eurovision Debate 2024.
The debate will be moderated by Martin Řezníček (Czech TV) and Annelies Beck (VRT, Belgium).
The candidates will speak in English, and interpretation will be provided in 24 languages.
A draw on 16 May organised by the EBU in the European Parliament determined the position of the candidates on the stage for the debate, the first speaker on 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.
The first speaker in each topic segment will be as follows: Nicolas Schmit, Sandro Gozi, Ursula von der Leyen, Walter Baier, Terry Reintke.
The order of the ‘spotlight’ interviews will be as follows: Nicolas Schmit, Sandro Gozi, Terry Reintke, Ursula von der Leyen, Walter Baier.
