Debate kicks off
The debate is now officially starting, with the moderators taking the stage.
You can watch the feed here (please note it will not be translated into English):
Key events
Sandro Gozi, representing Renew Europe Now, said that there’s a need to rescue people at sea.
Europe can take back control in a human way, he said.
Terry Reintke, for the European Greens, said Europe is an ageing continent and there’s a need to create legal pathways, and have a resilient asylum system.
We need to have policies that meet humanitarian standards and are implementable, she said.
There’s a need to end the death at sea, she said, calling for an EU search and rescue mission.
Migration section begins
The debate has moved on to migration and borders.
Asked about her position on Israel and Gaza and her initial reaction, Ursula von der Leyen said it was absolutely necessary to acknowledge the horror of October 7.
Member states have different objectives, but we’re all behind the two-state solution, let’s work on that, she said.
Asked if Giorgia Meloni fits her criteria, Ursula von der Leyen said she’s worked well with Meloni in her current role.
She’s clearly pro-European, she’s been against Putin, she said.
We have to build a majority to move Europe forward, to build a strong Europe, she said.
Asked if she’s prepared to work with the ECR, von der Leyen said: that’s not what I said.
Asked about Meloni’s approach to LGBT issues, von der Leyen said she has a different approach.
Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president and lead candidate for the centre-right European People’s party, said that campaigning for a second term is one of the best things that ever happened to her.
Young people are fascinating because they are the strongest supporters of Europe, she said.
I’m ready to build a majority for a strong Europe, she said.
Ursula von der Leyen is now in the spotlight.
Ursula von der Leyen, for the centre-right European People’s party, said the EU has means to ensure the law is implemented.
Ursula von der Leyen said in response that she has three criteria for which groups she would work with:
Pro-Europe, pro-Ukraine/anti-Putin and pro-rule of law.
She said parties such as National Rally and AfD may have different names and principles, but are friends of Putin and want to destroy Europe, and we will not allow this to happen.
Nicolas Schmit, for the Party of European Socialists, has reiterated his call for Ursula von der Leyen to be clear on what her red lines are on possible partnerships.
I cannot imagine Meloni’s idea of Europe is not same as yours, he told the European Commission president.
Article 7 must be changed to be much tougher on countries not respecting the rule of law, he added.
Terry Reintke, for the European Greens, said we have to improve the way we decide on things in the EU.
We need a strong European parliament, we need own resources – we get more tasks, but don’t have the funds to put things in place, she argued.
Enlargement would only work if there’s institutional reform to make the EU fit for next decades and centuries, she said.
Responding to the controversy surrounding the Dutch VVD, Sandro Gozi, representing Renew Europe Now, said that Renew Europe is focused on the June 9 election and that the group’s leader has made it clear a debate will take place on VVD’s membership. It won’t take years to decide like it did for the European People’s party on Viktor Orbán, he said.
Walter Baier, representing the Party of the European Left, said the agenda of the far-right must not be included in the discourse. The problem is not migration but the far-right, he argued. The far-right’s arguments must be countered, he said.
