Key occasions
The controversy is about to start in about 20 minutes.
Keep tuned.
A protester yelled on the European Fee president, Ursula von der Leyen, as she arrived for the controversy.
View backstage
As candidates put together for the controversy, in a reminder that the true decision-making about who will grow to be the subsequent European Fee president is usually right down to key capitals, a Fee spokesperson introduced that Ursula von der Leyen can be travelling to Paris quickly for a high-level assembly.
‘I’ll inform the reality in regards to the EU’s catastrophe course’, far-right politician says
The far-right Identification and Democracy’s consultant, Anders Vistisen, wrote on social media forward of the controversy:
“The complete EU system has tried to stop me and the appropriate wing from taking part within the EU prime candidate debate tonight. They wish to exclude proper wing votes! They didn’t succeed – so tonight I’ll inform the reality in regards to the EU’s catastrophe course on to Ursula and the remainder of the EU!”
Is von der Leyen dedicated to Inexperienced Deal, candidate asks forward of debate
Bas Eickhout, the lead candidate for the European Greens, mentioned forward of this night’s debate that “all of us wish to know whether or not Ursula Von der Leyen is dedicated to persevering with and imposing the Inexperienced Deal.”
“We want a real deal to make sure European competitiveness vis-à-vis China and the US. We want local weather motion and to make us unbiased from fossil fuels coming from autocrats. Or is Von der Leyen ready to maintain Europe depending on Russian fuel?” he added.
Eickhout additionally highlighted issues about alleged hyperlinks between some far-right politicians and Russia and China.
“Will the EPP and ALDE defend democracy within the European Union? Or will they collaborate with the far proper, as they’re more and more doing at nationwide stage? Will Von der Leyen draw a transparent pink line in order that her European Individuals’s Occasion EPP stops collaborating with the far-right ECR and ID teams?” he mentioned.
Walter Baier, the president of the Occasion of the European Left, mentioned he’s “trying ahead to an thrilling debate.”
Anaïs Berthier, head of the Brussels workplace at NGO ClientEarth, posed a query forward of the controversy for the candidates:
“As we face a local weather, nature and air pollution disaster, what is going to they prioritise to guard us and the planet?”
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann’s workforce in Maastricht immediately
The European Free Alliance is basically excited in regards to the debate.
Younger individuals have arrived to look at tonight’s debate.
The candidate representing the Greens in tonight’s debate, Bas Eickhout, arrived by bike.
Who’s debating?
This 12 months’s debate in Maastricht, forward of the June European parliament elections, is an uncommon one. In concept, the controversy is about to “characteristic Europe’s prime candidates for Fee President, representing key celebration teams,” in keeping with organisers.
However whereas there can be eight contenders on stage, eyes can be centered on only one: Ursula von der Leyen, the present European Fee president and lead candidate of the centre-right European Individuals’s celebration.
Von der Leyen is broadly thought-about the main contender to be chosen as Fee president (once more). And whereas another names have been floated, they won’t be current in Maastricht, leaving von der Leyen as the one top-level political heavyweight to take part within the debate.
The opposite debate members can be:
Nicolas Schmit for the Occasion of European Socialists
Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Occasion
Bas Eickhout for the European Inexperienced Occasion
Anders Vistisen for the Identification and Democracy Occasion
Walter Baier for the Occasion of the European Left
Maylis Roßberg for the European Free Alliance
Valeriu Ghilețchi for the European Christian Political Motion
Welcome to the weblog
Good night and welcome to a particular version of the Europe weblog, centered on the EU election debate in Maastricht.
Keep tuned and ship your feedback to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.