Nicolas Schmidt, main socialist candidate for the European elections

The Socialists have just officially appointed Luxembourger nicholas schmidt As Spitzenkandidat, Candidates for the leadership of the European Commission, Gathered at the La Nuvola congress center in Rome, delegates to the electoral congress approved the manifesto for the European elections.

Schmidt has extensive experience in Europe: European Commissioner for Labor and Social Rights Since 2019, it was also european deputy And Luxembourg government ministers Between 2004 and 2019.

Second political strength of previous candidacy

He Centre-left is the second largest party The European Parliament promises to be the most determined to stop the growing trend of the extreme right. He accused the centre-right European People’s Party of moving towards populist and authoritarian values.

The party proposes that the economic transition be more equitable for people in order to preserve the planet. Green and Social Pact Renewal,

Who is Nicholas Schmidt?

Schmidt, the current European Commissioner for Employment and Social Rights, received the mandate by acclamation on Saturday afternoon at the end of the party congress in Rome. The 70-year-old Luxembourg politician led the internal race without opposition as he was the only name nominated.

“We will not let Europe follow the path of austerity and social repression as it did during the financial crisis. That is the main argument, that is why we want to win these elections together in all 27 member states,” Schmidt said. ” ,

As a result, Schmidt will face his boss, Ursula von der Leyen, the lead candidate of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP).

Both are part of the so-called Spitzenkandidaten system, according to which parties running in European Parliament elections must select a high-level candidate for the presidency of the European Commission, the most powerful and influential institution in the bloc. Some groups follow the model, while others choose to ignore it.

A complex battle to defeat von der Leyen

However, the next race would be extremely uneven: Ursula von der Leyen The undisputed favorite is Thanksgiving solid reputation That builds on his first term at the Commission, where he led transformative policies to address climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the energy crisis, and China’s assertive behavior.

Schmidt, for his part, He has kept a low profile since arriving in Brussels in 2019, when von der Leyen assigned him the employment and social rights portfolio. Its most notable projects include the launch of a €100 billion program for part-time work schemes during the coronavirus lockdown and a directive to ensure the minimum wage remains at an “adequate level”.

Your proposal for improvement in the condition of workers The platforms, which provide services on applications such as Uber, Deliveroo and Glovo, are currently stuck in negotiations between member states and are close to limbo.