- Title: Reserved Bavarian, sporty Finn seek centre-right ticket for EU's top job
- Date: 8th November 2018
- Summary: HELSINKI, FINLAND (NOVEMBER 8, 2018) (REUTERS) ****WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL ARRIVING AND WALKING THROUGH CONFERENCE CENTRE CAMERA OPERATOR SPITZENKANDIDAT CANDIDATE ALEXANDER STUBB (FINLAND) ARRIVING, SAYING HE IS CONFIDENT EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER WALKING / STUBB WALKING UP TO GREET HIM / STUBB KISSING JUNCKER ON CHEEKS STUBB AND JUNCKER WALKING AND TALKING / STUBB AND JUNCKER STOP AT STUBB'S PROMOTIONAL STAND / STUBB SEARCHING FOR LEAFLET STUBB AND JUNCKER STANDING BY PROMOTIONAL STAND / JUNCKER SHAKES HANDS WITH STAFF / BOTH WALKING OFF EUROPEAN UNION'S CHIEF BREXIT NEGOTIATOR, MICHEL BARNIER, ARRIVING VARIOUS OF HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN ARRIVING AND WALKING THROUGH CONGRESS CENTRE ORBAN RECEIVING SPITZENKANDIDAT CANDIDATE MANFRED WEBER (GERMANY) PROMOTIONAL GINGERBREAD BISCUIT ORBAN WALKING INTO CONFERENCE HALL VARIOUS OF EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT DONALD TUSK ARRIVING UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT PETRO POROSHENKO ARRIVING / POROSHENKO RECEIVING PROMOTIONAL GINGERBREAD BISCUIT MANFRED WEBER TALKING AND POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPHS (EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: VIDEO QUALITY AS INCOMING)
- Embargoed: 22nd November 2018 10:22
- Keywords: EPP European People's Party Angela Merkel Alexander Stubb Spitzenkandidat Jean-Claude Juncker
- Location: HELSINKI, FINLAND
- City: HELSINKI, FINLAND
- Country: Finland
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00195NAD6V
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: PART VIDEO AS INCOMING
A reserved Bavarian and a Finn known for doing Ironman triathlons will vie for the backing of Europe's centre-right parties on Thursday (November 8) in the race to become European Commission president.
German EU lawmaker Manfred Weber and former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb will make their pitches at a congress in Helsinki to become the European People's Party (EPP) top candidate for the European Parliament elections next May.
The EPP vote will make the victor the front-runner for the EU's most influential job, the head of the bloc's executive overseeing laws and trade deals.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, and Hungarian President Viktor Orban, among others, are attending the conference.
Almost two thirds of the EPP members' 734 votes could go to Weber, according to informal projections by party officials. Merkel has publicly backed Weber. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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