At the congress of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in Berlin, Ursula von der Leyen announced her intention to run for a second term as president of the European Commission.
This is reported by The Guardian.
During the last year, the 65-year-old head of the most influential institution in Brussels did not comment on this issue. Now her statement became the first step in the four-month election campaign.
Once her candidacy is approved by the CDU party, she must win the support of two other parties, the European Peopleʼs Party (EPP), and the center-right grouping in the European Parliament, which also includes the ruling parties of Greece, Ireland, Lithuania and Sweden.
The next step will be voting at the EPP congress in March, which will be held in Bucharest.
According to the report, the choice of the president of the European Commission will depend on the results of the elections to the European Parliament, scheduled for June 6-9.
- On January 27, the President of the European Council Charles Michel abandoned plans to step down early due to fears that this could lead to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán taking over.