Germany Urges Swift EU Accession for Western Balkan Countries
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has issued a compelling call for the expedited integration of candidate countries from the Western Balkans into the European Union
Candidates in the bid for European Commission President, socialist Martin Schulz and conservative Jean-Claude Juncker, are due to meet in a TV and radio debate on Wednesday.
Schulz, President of the European Parliament, and Juncker, a former Eurogroup chair and Prime Minister of Luxembourg, were the two main nominees for the office, put forward by socialists and conservatives at EP.
In a 50-minute discussion, the two candidates for the top office in the EU's executive body will have to give answers to questions by France 24's Caroline de Camaret and Radio France Internationale (RFI)'s Dominique Baillard.
In a total of four televised discussions the two men are to debate over the future of Europe and key issues in fields such as politics, economy, social policy and climate change.
Wednesday's media event will inevitably focus on France, which is struggling to balance its budget and give a push to its stagnating economy.
The first of the series of debates, which are part of the EU's efforts to introduce a "presidential" element in the run-up for the bloc's top job and make it more attractive to voters, will also be available on the website of both media outlets.
EC's President will be determined by the European Council (constituted by presidents and heads of government in member states), but making their choice they will have to take into consideration the results of May 25's European Elections.
Schulz and Juncker are to meet for a second time on April 28 in a debate which will be aired by Dutch media. On May 8 German TV channels ZDF and ORF will broadcast the third event, and then Juncker and Schulz will stand against each other for the last time on May 20, just five days ahead of the European Elections.
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About 1 200 000 "phantom voters" can be found in Bulgarian elections lists, Mihail Konstantinov, formerly a high-profile official in charge of elections, believes.
Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) starts receiving documents for the registration of political parties and coalitions for the early elections on October 5.
A majority in the European Parliament has approved Jean-Claude Juncker to be President of the European Commission, reports BBC.
The European Parliament is expected to approve on Tuesday the nomination of former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission.
Former Environment Minister Iskra Mihaylova has become the nomination of the European Parliament's ALDE group to chair the Regional Policy Committee.
The European Parliament has re-elected Martin Schulz for a second presidential term, with 409 votes from the 751 MEPs.