Does she want it or not? Ursula von der Leyen has so far left the question of a possible second term at the head of the EU Commission open. But for how long?
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen must inform her European party family, the EPP, about her future plans within the next five weeks. According to information from the German Press Agency, the deadline for EPP candidates to be nominated for the post of President of the EU Commission expires on February 21st. The election of candidates is scheduled to take place at a party congress in Bucharest on March 7th.
The European People’s Party (EPP) is firmly expecting CDU politician von der Leyen to seek a second term as President of the EU Commission. However, she has not yet confirmed this publicly. One reason is that von der Leyen wants to continue the authority’s day-to-day political business for as long as possible without being influenced by the European election campaign.
European elections in June
The European Parliament election will take place from June 6th to 9th. It will also be the basis for the subsequent decision on the composition of the upcoming EU Commission. The next President of the Commission will be proposed by the heads of state and government in the European Council. The person then still has to be elected by parliament. According to surveys, it is currently likely that the Christian Democratic EPP will again be the strongest political force in the elections.
According to information from the dpa, EPP plans for the next few weeks stipulate that top representatives of the EPP member parties will discuss the candidate issue on the sidelines of the special EU summit on February 1st. In addition to the German CDU and CSU, these include the Austrian ÖVP and the current government parties from countries such as Greece, Poland, Sweden and Luxembourg.
Von der Leyen needs backing
It is then planned that the CDU will officially propose von der Leyen as EPP candidate at a party event in Germany in mid-February. The official nomination can only be made by party leaders or general secretaries. In addition, the proposed person needs the support of another EPP member party from the EU.
A spokesman for von der Leyen did not want to comment on the information from EPP circles. The “Financial Times” first reported on the plans to announce the candidacy in Germany.
A seat at the table of the powerful
As head of the EU Commission, von der Leyen has been in charge of around 32,000 employees since December 1, 2019, who, among other things, monitor proposals for new EU laws and compliance with the European Treaties. The 65-year-old also sits at the table as an EU representative at almost all major international summits such as the G7 or G20.
Before moving to Brussels, von der Leyen was, among other things, Defense Minister under then Chancellor Angela Merkel. The mother of seven children also holds a doctorate in medicine and has also served as Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Federal Minister for Labor and Minister for Social Affairs in Lower Saxony.
Source: Stern
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