European Parliament President Martin Schulz told a news conference that he will not seek another term as president of the European Parliament, and will try his chances in German politics instead.
"Next year I will present myself for the German Bundestag as the head of the list of the Social Democratic Party in Nord-Rhine Westphalia," Schulz said.
During a brief statement, where he declined to take questions from journalists, Schulz said he had strived to strengthen the European project during his time as an MEP and would continue to do the same from Berlin.
"The world needs more than ever a strong, self-confident EU that stands up for and defends what previous generations have built," he said.
According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, he has asked SPD leader Sigmar Gabriel to put his name forward for the position of chancellor. The mayor of Hamburg, Olaf Scholz, has also been named as a possible contender, EU Observer reports.
