In a press release issued on Thursday, the Party of European Socialists (PES) confirmed Schmit would run for office as European Commission president, thus standing against the incumbent Ursula von der Leyen. Earlier this month, Schmit told Politico he was “open” to the role, after receiving strong backing from Germany and Spain.
The deadline to register as a candidate expired on Wednesday evening. The PES is currently represented by 141 MEPs in Strasbourg.
Schmit previously held government roles for the Luxembourg Socialist Workers’ Party (LSAP) before being elected to the European Parliament in 2019.
