Brussels [Belgium]: European Union President Ursula von der Leyen, who has held the post since 2019 and has emerged as the face of Europe’s response to major crises, is seeking a second five-year term as the top EU official, the New York Times reported.
“I ran in 2019 because I firmly believe in Europe. Europe is home to me,” von der Leyen said on Monday in Berlin at the Christian Democratic Union party conference. “And when the question came up back then as to whether I could imagine becoming president of the European Commission, I immediately said ‘yes’ intuitively.”
“Today, five years later, I am making a very conscious and well-considered decision: I would like to run for a second term,” she added.
Given her strong record steering the European response to both the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, von der Leyen is seen as a relatively sure bet to keep the job, which is not elected but decided in negotiations among European Union leaders.
According to the NYT, another term for von der Leyen would provide continuity for the bloc. She is also expected to further expand the authority of her position, even beyond its duties overseeing the 32,000-strong European Commission.
Notably, von der Leyen is the first woman to hold the office. She has used the resources at her disposal to steer the EU through crises and emerged as one of the most visible leaders to have held the position.
A German gynaecologist and conservative politician, von der Leyen had a ‘lacklustre’ record as a minister in the administration of former Chancellor Angela Merkel. But she has emerged as a trusted figure in the Byzantine working of the EU.
For President Biden, who frequently refers to her simply as Ursula, von der Leyen (65) has been the ‘go-to person’ to coordinate EU-US policies, the NYT reported.
The EU President has been an advocate for the bloc’s expanding eastward to include Ukraine and Moldova as well as some Balkan states.
Recently, von der Leyen has come in for criticism from staff members and some EU leaders for her ‘unqualified’ support of Israel. She has said that Israel’s operations in Gaza are in line with its right to ‘self-defence’, and has not offered comments suggesting that Israel should exercise restraint as the civilian death toll in Gaza has mounted.
Thousands of EU staff members have written at least three letters of complaint over her position on the conflict, and she has clashed with her top diplomatic official as well as some EU leaders, who believe she is too supportive of Israel to represent the bloc.
However, she is very likely to secure a second term as president of the European Commission, but the selection process hasn’t even begun yet, as reported by NYT.
While Monday’s announcement means she is the chosen candidate for the job from the European mainstream conservative movement, other political groups — such as the Greens and the Social Democrats — will propose their own candidates.
The balance of power among those political movements will be gauged in the European Parliament elections in early June, which will take place across all 27 EU countries. von der Leyen’s political alliance is currently leading polls, New York Times reported.
