The phenomenon of Spitzenkandidaten and its impact on the interinstitutional dynamics of the EU

The bachelor thesis describes the process of the enforcement of the Spitzenkandidaten procedure into the EU political system. An ambiguous definition of the relation between the Commission Presidential Candidacy and European election results, which emerged in the Lisbon treaty, led to the creation of a new political precedent that has real chances to remain for good among the EU procedures. This thesis will nevertheless show that suggestions that the victorious party should name its candidate for the Commission President are not new. Moreover, it will highlight that the process of the EP and the Commission getting ever closer is a result of a much longer process. The arguments for and against the new procedure will be presented and evaluated. A detailed insight into the European elections 2014 campaign, which had a partially different shape due to the Spitzenkandidaten process, will provide the reader with an answer to which extent the outcomes of the elections were actually influenced by this exact procedure. The same objective is borne in mind when the candidacy of Jean-Claude Juncker is evaluated, proving him to be, although elected not traditionally, a candidate-as-usual. Lastly, this bachelor thesis tackles the problems of disturbed interinstitutional dynamics due to the enforcement of..