Two men are in the running: EPP leader in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, and former Finnish Prime Minister Alexander Stubb. Conveniently, both have made videos that sum up their candidacies better than any policy pamphlet. In his glossy production, Manfred Weber goes back to his home town in Bavaria - the heartland of his party, the CSU. He talks about security and the need to protect the "European way of life" - one embodied by old buildings, scenic vistas and an all-white group of fifty-something political allies meeting in a wood-panelled restaurant.

Mr Stubb's effort is a compilation of pictures of him with young fans, being interviewed on the red carpets of the EU institutions, backed by Finland's version of Mumford and Sons. His motto is "Next Generation Europe" - presumably a generation that should be led by someone with a 14-year career featuring stints as a member of the European Parliament, head of government and vice-president of the European Investment Bank, and who is actually four years older than his rival.

Who gets to decide? Spitzenkandidat 2.0 is different. The European Parliament has agreed that it will endorse the person who commands a majority in a vote of MEPs when they return after May's elections.

The final decision is then made by EU leaders. They have agreed that they will not automatically appoint the Parliament's choice or necessarily someone who even stood as a spitzenkandidat in the first place. It could lead to a massive row or the job could go to someone else who is widely respected, has cultivated MEPs and happens to be available in the second half of the year.

"How about… Michel Barnier?!" goes the theory in Brussels. He has said that he is dedicated to his current job. However, he wasn't too busy to deliver an 80-minute speech about the future of Europe to the EU elite on Monday night.