Eickhout (GroenLinks) wants to succeed Juncker

brussels - Bas Eickhout, GroenLinks' delegation leader in the European Parliament, is throwing the presidency of the European Commission. He is a candidate to succeed the current boss Jean-Claude Juncker on behalf of the European Green Parties (EGP).

On Monday it will be announced who the four candidates are from whom the EGP in November in Berlin will choose two who will lead the European campaign. The current co-chairman of the EGP, the German Ska Keller is one of them, the other two are expected to be the Flemish fertility expert Petra De Sutter and a Bulgarian MEP.

The 41-year-old Eickhout, who is the leader of the GreenLink for the European elections next year, wants to break old patterns. 'European regulations are particularly good for large multinationals, whereas ordinary Europeans wonder what Europe actually does for them. I want to break that status quo, 'he says.

For the European Social Democrats, EU Commissioner Maros Sefcovic (energy) has made an offer to succeed his boss. The Slovak is the first candidate from the socialist family to report as a 'spitzenkandidat'.