Ursula von der Leyen is seeking a second term as President of the European Commission. The CDU politician announced this himself on Monday during a meeting of the party leadership in Berlin.
The position at the top of the European Commission must be filled after the European elections in June. As a rule, a candidate from the European party family who performs best in the European elections is appointed. The EPP is clearly at the forefront of research so far. There is therefore a good chance that Von der Leyen can remain president.
No EPP opponents
The election of the EPP candidate for the top position will take place at a party congress on March 7. It is certain that Von der Leyen would receive the necessary majority of votes there. Possible opponents are not known. In addition to the ÖVP, the European EPP party family also includes the German CDU and CSU, the Italian Forza Italia and the Spanish conservative People’s Party PP.
Lawyer for Von der Leyen
Before the announcement, CDU Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst of North Rhine-Westphalia and von der Leyen’s predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker had already spoken out in favor of a second term for the Germans. Wüst told the news magazine Politico on Monday: “Ursula von der Leyen took office at a difficult time and gave the European Union a face and voice in the world. A second term would therefore be a sign of stability, which is all the more necessary now that our European values are under attack from all sides.”
Juncker told Berlin’s “Tagesspiegel” on Monday that Von der Leyen had “done a good job heading the European Commission under the most difficult, crisis-ridden circumstances.” “I would like her to become President of the Commission again.”
Criticism from our own ranks – and from the FPÖ
However, there are also critical comments about von der Leyen – even from her own camp. CSU European MP Markus Ferber told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” on Monday: “Ms von der Leyen realized far too late that bureaucracy cannot be used to achieve climate protection, but only entraps companies.” called for a course correction: “Keyword number one is not the Green Deal (which means the EU wants to be climate neutral by 2050), but rather competitiveness and strengthening the internal market.”
The FPÖ delegation leader in the EU Parliament, Harald Vilimsky, also reacted with dissatisfaction to the reappointment of the German CDU politician. Von der Leyen “has pushed forward centralization in Brussels at the expense of the sovereignty of the member states, as no president of the European Commission has done before her,” Vilimsky said in a press release. The liberal MEP thinks he can already identify the priorities for a second term of office for the President of the European Commission: “With the expansion of the EU to the warring Ukraine, there should be a fundamental reform of the entire Union, which would give even more powers from the Member States to Brussels.” Von der Leyen should therefore “not be given a second chance to harm Europe.”
“Most Powerful Woman in the World”
As President of the European Commission, Von der Leyen is in charge of approximately 32,000 employees who, among other things, propose new EU laws and monitor compliance with the European Treaties. She also sits at the table for the EU at almost all major international summits such as the G7 or G20. The American magazine ‘Forbes’ recently called her ‘the most powerful woman in the world’.
Von der Leyen’s term in office has so far been mainly determined by the Corona crisis and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. During the pandemic, the European Commission organized, among other things, the joint procurement of vaccines and developed a huge reconstruction program for the economy.
Von der Leyen was already considered, at least on paper, as the ideal person for the position at the top of the committee in 2019. She was born in Brussels in 1958, when Walter Hallstein became the first and, until Von der Leyen, the last German head of the Commission. Von der Leyen’s father, the later Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Ernst Albrecht, worked for this committee. The daughter went to the European school and therefore she speaks French and English well.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
