Ursula von der Leyen will run for a second term as President of the European Commission, she announced in Berlin on Monday, following a meeting of her party, the CDU (Christian Democratic Union).
At the meeting, the 65-year-old German politician announced her intention to run for another five years at the head of the Commission, after which the CDU "unanimously" voted in favour of her candidacy, declared the leader of the conservative party, Friedrich Merz, at a press conference alongside the candidate.
The CDU will support von der Leyen's candidacy with the European People's Party (EPP), its political group in the European Parliament. The EPP is due to announce its leader (Spitzenkandidat) for the European elections at a congress in Bucharest on 6 and 7 March.
Ursula von der Leyen took over as head of the European Commission in 2019 after being imposed as a surprise candidate by the heads of state. Her mandate was marked by the coronavirus pandemic and the economic difficulties that followed in Europe, as well as the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis.
However, she has not escaped criticised for a number of issues, notably for not standing up to the watering down of the European Green Deal from her own political group (EPP), a one-sided response to the war in Gaza, waning support for Ukraine, and the controversially deleted text messages exchanged with pharmaceutical company Pfizer over the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines – the subject of a criminal complaint in Belgium.
Speaking on on Monday, she stressed that her candidacy for a second term was the result of a "conscious" and "considered" decision. "Over the past five years, it is not only my passion for Europe that has grown, but of course my experience of what this Europe can bring to its people", she said.
She said she wanted to continue working on competitiveness, the climate, the digitisation of the EU, not forgetting the implementation of the Pact on Migration and the strengthening of European defence capabilities.
At the security conference in Munich this weekend, the President of the Commission also stressed the need to strengthen European defence, at a time when the conflict in Ukraine is about to enter its third year and US support is being strongly questioned by American conservatives.
The European elections, scheduled for 9 June, will elect the Members of the European Parliament. The European political groups also choose a Spitzenkandidat, who is each group's candidate for the Presidency of the Commission.
