About Vestager

Name: Margrethe Vestager

European political party: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)

Nationality: Danish

Age: 51

Career: 2014 - European Commissioner for Competition

2011-2014 Minister for Economic and Interior Affairs

2001-2014 MP

1998-2001 Minister for Education

1993 - MSc in economics, University of Copenhagen

About the debate

Political parties put forward candidates for the post of president of the European Commission ahead of the European elections. The lead candidate nominated by the Council, and able to command a majority in Parliament, will be elected President of the European Commission by a vote of Parliament.

The lead candidates are sometimes referred to by the German term spitzenkandidaten. This system was first used in 2014 to select current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The Presidential Debate - EU Elections 2019 on 15 May at 21.00 CET is an opportunity to discover where the lead candidates stand on a range of issues.

Some political parties have nominated more than one lead candidate, but have nominated a single candidate to represent them in the debate.

Three TV moderators will host the debate. Lots were drawn to determine the speaking order.

ALDE’s nominated a team of seven lead candidates, including:

Nicola Beer (49), German MP

Emma Bonino (71) Senator of Rome; former minister, MEP and commissioner

Violeta Bulc (55) European commissioner for Transport, former deputy Prime Minister of Slovenia

Katalin Cseh (30) Hungarian doctor in obstetrics and gynaecology, founder and former leader of Momentum Movement

Luis Garicano (52) Spanish economist, vice-president of ALDE party

Guy Verhofstadt (66) chair of ALDE group in the European Parliament, former Belgian Prime Minister

ALDE is aligned with the ALDE group in Parliament.