[FR] Spitzenkandidaten: yes or no?

Commonly used in German, the term Spitzenkandidat has been used since 2014 to refer to the person at the top of the list during European election campaigns who is likely to become President of the European Commission. Since the Treaty of Lisbon, the presidency of this institution requires the approval of the European Parliament. However, the heads of state and government of the European Union still play a decisive role in this appointment. The practice has varied from one election to another. How can the appointment of the President of the Commission be stabilised? What are the respective roles of the European Council and the European Parliament? Is the choice of lead candidates solely a matter for European political parties? Should the position necessarily go to the party that came out on top, or should a parliamentary coalition be formed around a figure who will secure the election? The use of the Spitzenkandidat raises a number of questions that are still being debated and need to be clarified before the 2024 European elections. At stake is the legitimacy of the next Commission and, more broadly, democracy at the European level.

We asked Professor Olivier Costa (Director of Research at the CNRS, CEVIPOF-Sciences Po and Director of Political Studies at the College of Europe in Bruges) and Pauline Thinus (Academic Assistant at the College of Europe in Bruges) to review the history of this issue and its implications, analyse the positions of the various players and present the scenarios that are likely to arise between now and the next European elections.

To complement the study, we present contributions from four eminent members of our European Parliament Political Observatory, all former MEPs: Pervenche Berès, Jean-Louis Bourlanges, Monica Frassoni and Alain Lamassoure.

This study is the first in a series devoted to major European institutional issues. It will be followed by a policy paper on the issue of transnational lists and other studies to come.