Eurovision debate between lead candidates for the Commission presidency

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament.

The Eurovision debate between the lead candidates for the Commission presidency will take place on Thursday 23 May from 15.00-16.45 in Parliament’s plenary chamber in Brussels.

The debate is organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in collaboration with the European political parties and the European Parliament.

EBU has announced the lead candidates for the Commission presidency who have confirmed their presence at the debate on 23 May:

• Walter Baier (Austria), European Left
• Sandro Gozi (Italy), Renew Europe Now
• Ursula von der Leyen (Germany), European People’s Party (EPP)
• Terry Reintke (Germany), European Greens
• Nicolas Schmit (Luxembourg), Party of European Socialists (PES)

The candidates will speak in English, and interpretation will be provided in 24 languages.

The debate will be moderated by Martin Řezníček (Czech TV) and Annelies Beck (VRT, Belgium).

The five candidates will debate on several key topics. Questions will be asked by the audience in the plenary chamber, by viewers watching from events organised by Parliament’s Liaison Offices in EU member states, submitted via social media, and by the two moderators. Candidates will also face one-on-one questioning by the moderators in so-called “Spotlight” segments, a new feature in the Eurovision Debate 2024.

Special events to watch the debate live will be organised across the EU by public service media in cooperation with European Parliament Liaison Offices in member states.

On 16 May, media are also invited to attend a draw organised by EBU in the European Parliament in Brussels (Agora TV studio, next to 3rd floor VoxBox, Spinelli building, 16.00). The draw will determine the position of the candidates on the stage for the debate, the first speaker on each topic, and the order of the ‘spotlight’ interviews.

The topics for the debate and an explanation of the rules will also be announced by EBU on 16 May.

How to follow the Eurovision Debate

The programme on 23 May will be broadcast on EbS and EBU with the on-screen nametags of the participants and other essential graphic elements. A clean version of the debate will be available on EbS+ but only for news edits, not for full live broadcast. It will also be streamed on Parliament’s website (Multimedia Centre) and accessible from the EBU distribution platforms. No independent filming of the debate from the chamber will be allowed.

Parliament’s Multimedia Centre will also provide a feed with International Sign Language and velotype (live transcript in English), as well as subtitled versions in the official EU languages on demand once the debate is over. These files will be delivered before 19:00 CET. If you are interested in this format please write to AVNewsDesk@europarl.europa.eu.

The candidates will arrive at the protocol entrance of the European Parliament at approximately 12:45, when the media can record their doorsteps. Press points will be organised close to the Hemicycle after the event. Both the doorsteps and the press points will be live on EbS and the Multimedia Centre.

Accreditation and access for the Eurovision Debate

All EU inter-institutional accredited media and EP annual media badge holders will have access to Parliament for the debate upon presentation of their badges, without having to request separate accreditation.

All other journalists wishing to attend the debate will have to submit a request for short-term media access via the online accreditation system (JOUREG). If they already have an EP media badge, it will be activated remotely once approved in the registrations portal. If they are not in possession of an EP media badge, once their request is approved in JOUREG, journalists will be able to collect it from the Accreditation Centre in front of Parliament (Esplanade Solidarność, office 01F035).

Media will be able to follow the debate from a limited number of seats reserved for press at the back of the plenary chamber. You can book a seat in the audience via this link, by Thursday 16 May.

If you wish to book other audiovisual services and facilities for the debate, please send an email to bookingsee2024@europarl.europa.eu, also by Thursday 16 May.

For graphic press, there will be a photo opportunity in the Hemicycle around 13:45

Access to the carpark on the day of the Eurovision Debate

Media needing a space in Parliament’s carpark will have to reserve their parking slot via the IZIX APP a few days before the event. If journalists do not yet have the App, they can request it from book.your.parking@europarl.europa.eu