"I am flattered. I'll be 100 percent focused on the municipal elections [in Belgium] in the coming future. That's what I told them. What's next? What should I do concerning 2019? This is a topic for reflection. Of course, I'll discuss it with my party [PS]. I want to be the candidate of a party for which it will be of more use," Magnette told Belgian daily Le Soir.
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Magnette was the minister-president of Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia region from 2014 to 2017. He came into the spotlight in 2016 by opposing the Comprehensive Economic and Trade agreement between the European Union and Canada, claiming that the deal would be harmful to local producers due to cheaper import from Canada.
The European Parliament election will be held in late May 2019. Since 2014, each party has a leading candidate. The Party of European Socialists currently has 191 seats out of 751 in the European Parliament.