European Commission boss Ursula von der Leyen will reportedly not seek a third spell in office. But what are the rules when it comes to how long EU leaders can stay in charge?
Ursula von der Leyen was a somewhat surprise pick for head of the Commission when she succeeded Jean-Claude Juncker in 2019 and was catapulted from relative obscurity in German national politics to continental or even arguably global fame.
At the time, candidates like Manfred Weber, Frans Timmermans and Margrethe Vestager simply were not able to convince enough of the real powermakers in the European Council that they should get the nod and von der Leyen was a compromise they all could live with.
After navigating a tense confirmation process by the European Parliament, she was installed as the first woman to head the EU executive branch.
In 2024, von der Leyen was given a second bite of the cherry when she was again nominated by the European Council to serve a second five-year-long term.
Just two years into that second mandate, there is of course already talk about whether the German politician will go for a trilogy of mandates, matching only Jacques Delors, who is widely considered to be the greatest European Commission president.
But apparently, for the time-being at least, a third go is not on the cards, as per Politico’s reporting, which cites anonymous sources who claim von der Leyen will call it quits in 2029 and that the current Commission restructuring is not part of a complex power grab.
Whether there is any truth in that or whether von der Leyen will change her mind over the next three or so years are questions that will only get answers at a later date.
But there is nothing to stop von der Leyen seeking that third term as EU law does not impose term limits on the Commission presidency. Just four officials have actually served more than one term: von der Leyen, Delors, José Manuel Barroso and Walter Hallstein.
Notably, none of those presidencies were non-consecutive.
Term limits are imposed on the European Council presidency though. The two-and-a-half year mandate is renewable once. Incumbent Antonio Costa’s first demi is up at the end of the year but all indications point to him getting the nod to serve the full five.
Juncker advocated for a ‘double hatted’ president who would serve as both Commission and Council president. That idea has fallen out of fashion lately but whether this mega-president would be subject to term limits or not is one of the issues that would have to be sorted out.
In the European Parliament, there are no term limits either, although only one president has completed a full five-year stint: German socialist lawmaker Martin Schulz. Malta’s Roberta Metsola is due to equal that if she completes her second term in 2027.
There is even talk that Metsola will seek a record-breaking third term, although that would seriously break with the established convention of alternating the presidency between the biggest political groups.
Members of the European Parliament have over the years broached the subject of imposing term limits but those ideas have never translated into any concrete proposals. National parliaments mostly follow the same convention of regulating mandates.
That is, however, no longer true in Hungary, where the new government of Peter Magyar has used its big majority in parliament to impose an eight-year limit on the prime minister, in a bid to prevent Viktor Orban from returning to power.
European presidential terms do generally exist in some form, although the number of years vary from country to country. A notable exception is Italy, whose president is not bound by limits and can theoretically serve unlimited seven-year terms.
France too is a little bit of an outlier as its constitution forbids more than two consecutive terms. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron will not be able to stand in the upcoming election but there are rumours he may try to seek a third term in 2032.
And of course, on the other side of the Atlantic, the current occupant of the White House has indicated he may seek a third term in office, in what would be an obvious breach of the US constitution. Term limits are, apparently, for losers.
