Initiative by EuranetPlus, a network that will allow citizens to ask questions to candidates for the European Commission presidency thanks to connections with 15 cities
Not only television but also radio debates in view of the forthcoming European elections. The network EuranetPlus is organizing a public debate among four candidates, to be held on April 29th: the EPP, S&D, Liberal and Green candidates (Jean-Claude Juncker, Martin Schulz, Guy Verhofstadt and Ska Keller, respectively). The only absent candidate will be Alexis Tsipras, Greek candidate for United Left, who declined the invitation due to previous commitments, explained the organisers. The debate will be held in English, and will have a network of 15 cities connected from all over Europe – Athens, Bielefeld, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Lisbon, Maribor, Milan, Paris, Riga, Sofia, Tallinn, Valladolid, Warsaw and Zagreb – allowing European citizens from 15 member states to interact directly with the candidates, asking them the questions they want. The debate will be broadcasted live, on the radios of the EuranetPlus circuit (for Italy, Radio24).
On April 9th, a first debate between Schulz and Juncker will be held on France24. On May 15th, live television debate between all the candidates at the plenary room of the European Parliament in Brussels, led by Monica Maggioni, editor at RaiNews24. Juncker and Schulz will meet in other two television debated, in Germany and Austria. The first meeting will be held in German, on May 8th, at the ZDF Berliner television studios, and will be broadcasted by the Austrian channel Orf. On May 20th, another debate for German electors at the Ard Electoral Arena (Ard is the first public television in Germany).
