EU commissioner to face off against Ursula von der Leyen in EU elections

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit will face off against the current Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.

It came after Schmit was elected on Saturday lead candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) for the 2024 EU elections during the party's congress in the Italy's capital Rome.

Speaking at the congress, Schmit said he wants voters to know that social democrats "will keep fighting" for all citizens and will respect their commitments and promises.

Announcing this, he later said: "I am honoured to have been elected lead candidate of the PES family for the 2024 EU elections."

"Together, we are ready to build a more social, democratic and sustainable EU that works for all," the 70-year-old politician from Luxembourg wrote on X.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Portugal's premier Antonio Costa and Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen were among the attendees to the congress.

The European Commission is led by its president and the 26 commissioners, and its president is elected for a 5-year term by the European Parliament, following the European elections.

German politician von der Leyen, is a member of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its EU affiliated group, the European People's Party (EPP).

She is currently serving as the 13th president of the Commission since 2019.