EC President Bidders Meet in Last TV Debate

The five EU Commission President candidates clashed Thursday evening in a televised debate in the European Parliament chamber in Brussels.

It was their last meeting ahead of the upcoming European elections next week and also the first in which Greek leftist coalition SYRIZA's leader Alexis Tsipras, the European Left Party nominee, took part.

The five discussed heatedly contested issues of economy, EU internal agenda and foreign policy. Ukraine's standoff with Russia, as well as Greece's situation after six years of recession and exhaustive reforms triggered by bailout problems, also topped the agenda.

Tsipras, who gained huge popularity in Greece by calling for a rejection of Athens' loan agreement with international lenders (one that imposed austerity measures), claimed that European People's Party candidate Jean-Claude Junker had been behind the Greek crisis, as he presided over the Eurogroup at the time of the bailout deal.

SYRIZA's leader also insisted that Europe should put an end to its "debt paranoia" and change the bloc by shifting focus away from austerity.

Greens candidate Ska Keller argued it was the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTI) that had also caused lack of trust in European institutions.

Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats (S&D) based some of his arguments on the importance of fighting against tax evasion and assistance to member states with highest unemployment.

Guy Verhofstadt, Liberals' (ALDE) choice, who is known as a vehement federalist, said Europe should take a step toward further integration in a push to defend itself against "the US, China and India".

EC President nominees were divided over the prospect of imposing new sanctions on Russia...