The European Union has its own language that European politicians understand. Inside the 'EU bubble,' there is a variety of terms that sound like alien-speak to the average listener. In this series, we are going to decode these terms one by one, so that you too can understand the EU’s special language—and this will give you a greater understanding of the EU itself." The next term is “spitzenkandidat”
This is a German word meaning 'lead candidate.' While it is not in the EU treaties, it was designed to counter the argument that the EU nomination process for the Commission president is undemocratic. So the Spitzenkandidat is the lead candidate of the various political parties within the EU Parliament, and the idea is that the nomination would be one of the candidates to lend more legitimacy because the MEPs are elected by the member nations. When Ursula von der Leyen was nominated, the Council completely ignored the Spitzenkandidat process and brought in an unknown candidate.
Understanding these terms is essential to knowing how the EU functions. In this series we will decode these terms one by one. I’m Erika Grey, be sure to hit that subscribe button, let me know your thoughts in the comments and we’ll see you in the next report."
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