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 debate is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in collaboration with the European political parties and the European Parliament.
EBU has announced the lead candidates for the Commission presidency who have confirmed their presence at the debate on 23 May:
- Walter Baier (Austria), European Left
- Sandro Gozi (Italy), Renew Europe Now
- Ursula von der Leyen (Germany), European People’s Party (EPP)
- Terry Reintke (Germany), European Greens
- Nicolas Schmit (Luxembourg), Party of European Socialists (PES)
The candidates will speak in English, and interpretation will be provided in 24 languages.
The debate will be moderated by Martin Řezníček (Czech TV) and Annelies Beck (VRT, Belgium).
The five candidates will debate on several key topics. 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 in the Eurovision Debate 2024.
Special events to watch the debate live will be organised across the EU by public service media in cooperation with European Parliament Liaison Offices in member states.
On 16 May, media are also invited to attend a draw organised by EBU in the European Parliament in Brussels (Agora TV studio, next to 3rd floor VoxBox, Spinelli building, 16.00). The draw will determine 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 topics for the debate and an explanation of the rules will also be announced by EBU on 16 May.
