Gathered in Florence for a new debate between the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ hosted by the European University Institute on Thursday 2 May, Manfred Weber, Frans Timmermans, Guy Verhofstadt and Ska Keller, respectively the candidates of the EPP, PES, ALDE and the Greens for the presidency of the European Commission, clashed for an hour and a half on the themes of migration, the economy, security, foreign policy and the democratic functioning of the EU.
While they generally stuck to their traditional ideological position, they were able to deliver some surprises here and there as well as some new ideas. This was the case, for example, of the current First Vice-President of the Commission and Social Democratic candidate, Frans Timmermans, who considered that qualified majority voting in foreign policy would not “fundamentally” change the decision-making problems in the Council of the EU or constitute a truly effective solution, unlike Manfred Weber and Guy Verhofstadt, who make it a crucial point.
The Dutchman also distinguished himself from his German and Belgian counterparts on the project for a ‘European FBI’. While for Manfred Weber and Guy Verhofstadt, such a police force would allow all data held at national level to be more widely shared and accessible to all national police forces, it did not seem to find favour in Mr Timmermans' eyes.
For him, a “super police” is not necessarily the solution. “We already have Europol and Eurojust, we already have the tools”. For the PES candidate, such a system would not work for the EU, which “is not the United States”, he stressed. A position that brings the social-democratic candidate closer to that of Ska Keller, who has expressed her total rejection of a “European CIA”.
The Dutchman also distinguished himself on the issue of a European army, strongly defended by Guy Verhofstadt, who believes that defence is now one of the biggest wastes of money in the EU. National budgets should be pooled, according to the Belgian.
However, here again, Frans Timmermans has taken a position tinged with intergovernmentalism. While he considered it essential for the European defence industry to develop and be supported, he called on his partners “not to make such promises when the European army is not about to see the light of day”.
Proposals to stand out
For the rest, the candidates tried to make their mark with original initiatives. On migration, Manfred Weber once again advocated the creation of a European Commissioner entirely dedicated to Africa.
He also opened the door to the right of legislative initiative granted to the European Parliament, undertaking, if he becomes President of the Commission, to take greater account of the initiatives of Parliament groups and to involve them in the decision-making process.
The Social Democrat, Frans Timmermans, has focused a lot on the fate of the middle classes, whose standard of living is falling. He called for responsible tax policies that fight tax evasion and do not allow any large company to slip through the tax net. “We must ensure that solidarity is restored at European level”, said the candidate of the PES, who has also supported the project of a European minimum income.
On climate change, Ska Keller defended the idea of a system for redistributing a European carbon tax or the income from the additional tonnes of CO2 purchased from citizens who mind their behaviour and produce fewer emissions, a kind of “bonus” that would somehow go to the lower classes who emit less pollution in some way.
As for the leader of ALDE, he spoke in favour of a single European digital regulator, instead of 28, although overall, Guy Verhofstadt defended ideas already put forward in 2014 during this debate. The Belgian was also perhaps in an uncomfortable position because in 2014 he was a ‘Spitzenkandidat’, a system he has since renounced after his rapprochement with Emmanuel Macron. A flip-flop that caused him to be mocked by the Dutchman.
Small settlements of scores between candidates
Because this debate was of course also an opportunity for the candidates to settle their small political scores, with the socialist and conservative candidates attacking in turn the conservative Hungarian Viktor Orbán and the Slovak social-democrat Robert Fico.
Germany's Ska Keller pointed out the Dutchman and his plea for tax justice. She wondered whether this subject was part of his discussions with “his Maltese friends” and the social democratic government of Joseph Muscat, a country opposed to fiscal transparency, according to her.
The ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ will have a new meeting on 15 May in Brussels. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)