Former Commissioner Neelie Kroes running in European election

Neelie Kroes, a Dutch former European commissioner, has been brought into the European election campaign by Guy Verhofstadt's party.

Kroes will be a so-called list-pusher — a candidate who serves to draw attention and add credibility to a party's campaign — for Belgium's Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open VLD).

She will be sixth on the Open VLD list, and is unlikely to end up in the European Parliament given that the party is on track to win just two seats. Current polling puts Open VLD on just 8 percent support, well down from their 2014 election result.

Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister and current leader of the liberal ALDE group in the Parliament, is the party's top candidate. Hilde Vautmans, a current MEP, is second on the list, followed by Belgian-Polish philosopher Alicja Gescinska.

"This is my third European list and by far the one I am most proud of," Verhofdstadt said in a statement.

"Last week we celebrated International Women's Day and I am very pleased that not only the numbers two and three on my list, but also the list-pusher, first replacement and the list-pusher of the replacements, are all strong women with a lot of experience."

Kroes held Commission posts overseeing competition and the digital agenda between 2004 and 2014, issuing billions of euros in fines against tech companies and other cartels, before orchestrating the end of mobile roaming charges in the EU.

She caused controversy in 2016 by taking paid advisory positions with ride-sharing platform Uber and Bank of America, and failing to declare financial links to an offshore company, as required by European Commission ethics rules.

"Neelie has always opted for European renewal, to the great displeasure of the many conservative forces. I am proud that she supports our strong European list," Verhofstadt said.

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