Rumors that European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans would run as the socialist lead candidate have long circulated in the corridors of the EU institutions | Olivier Hoslet/EPA Frans Timmermans to join race for Commission top job Dutch vice president of the Commission wins backing of German Socialists.

Frans Timmermans, the first vice president of the European Commission, is poised to put his name forward as a lead candidate for the Commission's top job after winning the backing of the German Socialists and support from parties across the Continent.

German Social Democratic Party leader Andrea Nahles declared her support for Timmermans to be the Party of European Socialists' Spitzenkandidat in the upcoming European election, in a letter seen by POLITICO.

"I am convinced that Frans Timmermans unifies and strengthens our European party family and will lead us to a strong common result in the election for the European Parliament next year," Nahles wrote in the letter dated October 5 to PES President Sergei Stanishev and Treasurer Ruairi Quinn.

Three European Parliament officials said Timmermans, who is a member of the Dutch Labor party (PvdA), has obtained enough support from other members of the pan-European PES to support a bid to be Spitzenkandidat under the party's rules.

“He is expected to announce that he has enough support to run as a candidate,” said a fourth official from the social democrat family. “If there’s a letter from a prominent social democrat party, it is very likely that others will follow.”

Rumors that Timmermans would run as the Socialists' lead candidate have been circulating for weeks in the corridors of the EU institutions.

To be nominated, the candidate must have the backing of their national party and eight other PES member parties. Timmermans' office did not respond to a request for comment.

If he puts his name forward, Timmermans will be the second candidate to seek the PES nomination ahead of next May’s election. Last month, Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič announced he would also run to be the center left's lead candidate.

According to the Lisbon Treaty, the bloc’s national leaders will meet following the election to propose a candidate to Parliament “taking into account” the results of the European election. Under the Spitzenkandidat process, each party in Parliament puts forward a nominee, who campaigns alongside its candidates in the European Parliament election. The contender belonging to the party that gets the most votes is recommended to Parliament for confirmation as Commission president — although EU leaders have made clear they will not be bound by the process.

Rumors that Timmermans would run as the Socialists' lead candidate have been circulating for weeks in the corridors of the EU institutions. But some view Timmermans as a weak candidate because he comes from a party that is not in power and lost significant votes in the last national election.

Socialist parties have until October 18 to submit candidates. Each member party and organization will then choose the method of selecting the candidate they support “according to PES member parties' own decision-making principles and practices,” a PES spokesperson said.

The party’s lead candidate will be officially named at the PES congress in December in Lisbon.