Watch the Maastricht Debate LIVE

The Maastricht Debate, the only European-wide debate focused on young people, is back on 29 April, 2019.

Bringing together the leading candidates of the European political parties for European Commission President, the 90-minute event will be broadcast live across the European Union.

Candidates for the presidency of the European Commission will battle it out to put forward their views and positions on three main themes voted on by youth. The debate will be held in front of an audience of 500 young people and live streamed by POLITICO Europe.

The European Youth Forum is jointly organising the Maastricht Debate 2019 with the three partners of Maastricht, Working on Europe – Maastricht University, the City of Maastricht and the Province of Limburg - as well as the European Journalism Centre.

Date: Monday, 29 April

Time: 19:00 – 20:30

Venue: Theater aan het Vrijthof, Maastricht

About the debate

The focus of the Maastricht Debate is on youth, with a special emphasis on first-time voters. The moderators, Rianne Letschert, rector of Maastricht University, and Ryan Heath, political editor at Politico, as well as voters and members of the audience will question the Spitzenkandidaten along three main themes: Digital Europe, Future of Europe, and Sustainable Europe.

• Bas Eickhout for the European Green Party
• Frans Timmermans for the Party of European Socialists
• Guy Verhofstadt for the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
• Jan Zahradil for the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe
• Violeta Tomić for the Party of the European Left

Please note that all of the registered European Political Parties were invited to send a Spitzenkandidat prepared to speak in English. The decision of which Spitzenkandidat to send was made by the political parties.

More information at www.maastrichtdebate.eu

How to get involved?

Watch the debate live from wherever you are! The entire 90 minute debate will be live-streamed by Politico and you can share your ideas and reactions with #MaastrichtDebate.

In Maastricht? Join the debate-watching festival on the Vrijthof square. The festival will include stands for European, national and regional parties and organisations, as well as food trucks and live music after the main event, to encourage the “debate after the debate”.

In Brussels? Join us on the Esplanade of the European Parliament, where over 1000 stakeholders and representatives from the European Institutions, civil society and businesses will be invited to attend.

Arrangements for media

Journalists and media organisations are invited to attend the debate. A dedicated media room will be provided including the following facilities: internet access (Wifi and cable), patch to livestream, desks with power supply and a spin alley to interview candidates afterwards. Please note that there are no telephone landlines available.

You can register on www.maastrichtdebate.eu/press

All registrations will be reviewed by the organisation. Based on space requirements in the theatre, the organisers reserve the right to limit the number of press badges issued to a media organisation. Pre-screening by the police may be required before your presence can be confirmed.

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Media contacts:

Maastricht University: Margot Krijnen +31 6 36 43 34 88 , margot.krijnen@maastrichtuniversity.nl

European Youth Forum: Hannah Grieve +32 2 793 75 36, hannah.grieve@youthforum.org

POLITICO: Natasha Bernard +32 2 540 90 94, nbernard@politico.eu