MEPs warned EU countries against abandoning the so-called “Spitzenkandidaten” (lead candidate) method of choosing candidates for EU Commission President in a debate with EU Commission First Vice-President President Frans Timmermans on Wednesday.

EU leaders said at their 23 February informal summit that they would not be bound by the Spitzenkandidaten method in the run-up to the 2019 European elections.

This method, first used in 2014 to select current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, enables European political parties to nominate candidates for the post of EU Commission President in the run-up to the elections, and thus links the choice to the election outcome.

MEPs also called for the next EU’s long-term budget, the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), to be spent more effectively after 2020 and for new resources, such as a financial transaction tax to replace part of the national direct contributions.

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Tajani

Timmermans

Weber

Bullman

Kamall

Verhofstadt

Sylikiotis

Keller

Batten

De Graaff

Closing by Timmermans