The first ever European Presidential Debate took place in Maastricht on April 28. Green leading candidate Ska Keller went head to head with the other candidates for the presidency of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (European People’s Party), Martin Schulz (Party of European Socialists), Guy Verhofstadt (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party) to explain how Europe can and must do better.
The debate, which was broadcast live on Euronews in 13 different languages, garnered a huge amount of press from across Europe and clearly showed the differences between how the four European political families view Europe. The debate, which was focused in issues relevant to young people, was split into three parts: the economy, the future, and foreign policy (you can find these videos, below). While Juncker and Schultz did not live up to people's expectiations, Ska proved that the Greens are Europe's alternative.
Europe's media reacted very positively to Ska:
"On the TTIP negotiation, her views were much more measured with strong slive of opposition."
"Combative, the youngest and only female of the quartet, German MEP Ska Keller (32), denounced the adoption of the rhetoric of the extreme right by center-right parties."
"...Keller really started to shine towards the end of the debate, while Schulz and Juncker seemed to lag behind."
"Ska Keller says the main centre-left and centre-right parties have watered down EU legislation on renewable energy, and this has made the EU more dependent."
"Keller says she has seen parties of the centre-right have taken up the slogans of the far right. 'By repeating the slogans of the far right you are only making them stronger.'"
"Being in her early thirties in the political business is still young, but this astonishingly informed, linguistically proficient and enthusiastic Green was the great discovery of the evening."
- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Part one: the economy
Part two: the future
Part three: foreign policy
