Brussels, 28/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - Four of the main candidates for the presidency of the European Commission, the Conservative candidate from Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, German Social Democrat, Martin Schulz, Belgian Liberal, Guy Verhofstadt and German Green, Ska Keller, met in debate for the first time on Monday evening 28 April at the University of Maastricht (Netherlands), with just under four weeks to go till the European elections. This first debate focused on three main subjects: the European economy, the future of the EU and its foreign policy.
The four candidates attempted to boost interest among the 400 million European voters at a time of continued threats of extremism and abstentionism in this election. José Bové from France, on the list with Ska Keller from Germany, Alexis Tsipras from Greece, head of the Syriza and candidate of the Radical Left, did not participate (due to timetable difficulties) in this first televised debate. The most recent polls have put the EPP and the Socialists in the lead, with Juncker and Schulz the favourites to take over from José Manuel Barroso. (LC)