Michel Barnier’s candidature to be EC President submitted today
The President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Joseph Daul, has received today the candidature of Commissioner of Internal Market and Services and EPP Vice President, Michel Barnier, to be the EPP’s candidate for President of the European Commission.Michel Barnier brings with him the support of his home party UMP and the endorsement of EPP member parties Fidesz and NSi, from Hungary and Slovenia respectively.
This is the third candidature received by the EPP (after that of former Prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis and former Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker) following the opening of the selection process on 13 February. In order to be nominated as the EPP candidate for President of the European Commission, a candidate needs the support of his or her own member party and the endorsement of no more than two member parties from two EU countries other than the country of origin of the candidate. The process of nominating the EPP candidate will remain open to further submissions and will continue according to the following timeline and rules:
13 February – opening of the submission of candidacies.
5 March – last day to submit candidacies.
6 March (Dublin Congress) – review of the candidacies at the Political Assembly; validation of the candidacies and submission to the Congress for a vote.
7 March (Dublin Congress) – Congress delegates vote to elect the candidate; proclamation of the candidate; launch of the campaign.
Note to editors:
The EPP is the largest and most influential European-level political party of the centre-right, which currently includes 73 member-parties from 39 countries, the Presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, 12 EU and 5 non-EU heads of state and government, 13 members of the European Commission and the largest Group in the European Parliament.
For more information:
Kostas Sasmatzoglou, EPP Spokesman, Tel. +32-2-2854147
Javier Jiménez, EPP Director of Press and Communications, Tel. +32-475480446