The centre-right European People's Party (EPP) is considering Poland's PM Donald Tusk a leading candidate for the next European Commission president, according to the latest edition of the German Der Spiegel weekly.

"Presenting before the elections a current prime minister as the leading candidate would raise the European policy to a new level," Bavarian CSU member Manfred Weber, EPP's vice-chairman in the European Parliament told Der Spiegel.

Tusk would confront Martin Schuzl, who most likely will be the main candidate of the European Socialists and Democrats.

Reportedly, Tusk enjoys support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But first Merkel would have to win 2013 election in Germany and, moreover, France's opposition against an European Commission president from outside the euro-zone would have to be overcome, the Polish press writes.

The post of the European Commission head will vacate in 2014 as the current president, Portuguese Jose Manuel Barroso, is not going to run for the third term in office.