EU leader Ursula von der Leyen seeks second term as head of bloc’s powerful Commission

She was put forward by her German Christian Democratic Union party and will only need a rubber stamp when the party’s European umbrella group meets next month

She also stands a good chance of extending her reign over the executive commission

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Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, attends a press conference at the Christian Democratic Union of Germany Federal Executive Committee meeting. Photo: dpa

Published: 8:58pm, 19 Feb 2024

Germany’s Ursula von der Leyen will seek a second term as head of the European Union’s powerful Commission in a move that could make her the most significant politician representing the bloc’s 450 million citizens in over a generation.

Following five years of leading the 27-nation bloc through multiple crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the first two years of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the 65-year-old was put forward by her German Christian Democratic Union party and will only need a further rubber stamp when the party’s European umbrella group meets early next month in Bucharest.

The party’s leader, Friedrich Merz, said on Monday in Berlin his German party “unanimously chose Ursula von der Leyen” to be the candidate to stay in her post.

She also stands a good chance of extending her reign over the executive commission, since the Christian Democrat-dominated European People’s Party (EPP) is expected to remain the biggest in the legislature following the June 6-9 European elections.

She flaunted her progressive credentials early on by pushing through a Green Deal that put the bloc at the forefront in the global fight against climate change and amounted to a sea change in EU policy.

However, with Europe’s political mood shifting recently to the right, von der Leyen acknowledged the changes. “The world is totally different compared to five years ago,” she said in her acceptance speech.

She was among the most outspoken defenders of Israel since the war erupted with the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel – even as international outrage over the Israeli offensive is growing. Her green credentials also have been sorely dented as she appeared to side with farmers during the past weeks of relentless farming protests throughout the bloc.

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