Brussels, 04/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - A personalised campaign bus, official visits to at least 18 member states on invitation from national parties (not all in the campaign bus) and no fewer than seven televised debates. That is the EPP's programme for Luxembourg's former prime minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, who won the race in Dublin on 7 March to head the EPP list for the European elections.
Beginning his election campaign later than his rivals, particularly the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, Juncker will be in Munich, Berlin and Nivelles or Antwerp by 8 April. On 9 April he will hold a debate with the PES candidate Martin Schulz on France 24, on 28 April he will be debating with all the other candidates for Barroso's job (namely Schulz, Guy Verhofstadt of Belgium for the ALDE, Ska Keller of Germany or José Bové of France for the Greens and Alexis Tsipras of Greece for the European Left). Juncker's slogan is: “Experience, Solidarity, Future”.
With campaign funds of €1.6 million (two thirds from the EP budget and one third from donations from EPP members), the campaign will see Juncker become the next president of the European Commission, said his new campaign director, Martin Selmayr, on Friday 4 April. Selmayr used to be the head of Commissioner Viviane Reding's cabinet office. He is certain that Juncker is the best possible candidate and has a better reputation among the general public than Schulz. Selmayr reiterated Juncker's interest in Barroso's job, though that did not mean that he would not be president of the Council, or even pope! There is doubt surrounding the job that Juncker will actually be given. (SP)