Ursula von der Leyen is set to announce her plans to retain her position as President of the European Commission, on February 19. The German politician will announce her candidacy during a meeting in Berlin of her party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).
Ms Von der Leyen, who served as Germany’s Defence Ministry between 2013 and 2019, was almost unknown in the European Union when her name was first put forward by Berlin for the powerful post five years ago, a source noted.
They told the Guardian: “Remember, nobody had heard of her back in 2019 and she went from being defence minister in Germany to having the most powerful job in Brussels within weeks.”
While five years ago she didn’t campaign for the post, this time Ms Von der Leyen will have a few hurdles to overcome to be able to retain her position. As she prepares to try for another term, Express.co.uk readers are being asked whether they think she should run again.
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After being confirmed as their prime choice by members of the CDU, Ms Von der Leyen will need to be approved as a candidate also by two other parties within the European Parliament’s centre-right grouping, the European People’s Party (EPP).
The German politician will then need to win a vote at the group’s congress taking place in March in Bucharest.
Following the European Elections on June 6-9, if the EPP confirms the current polls and wins a majority in the European Parliament it will be able to propose her as its lead candidate for the Commission’s presidency.
Still, in order to take office Ms Von der Leyen will need the support of EU leaders and, after that, the backing of a majority of members of the new parliament.
The politician, who has led the European Union through the coronavirus pandemic and the outbreak of war in Ukraine, is considered likely to retain her post.
A person briefed on the discussions around her candidacy told the Financial Times: “She has the backing of the party and of the member states.”
The only EU leader to have had so far publicly suggested he will oppose a second Von der Leyen term is Hungarian Prime Minister and Eurosceptic Viktor Orban.
During her likely second term, Ms Von der Leyen is set to focus her attention on defence amid a rising threat from the east, as she suggested during the Munich Security Conference on the weekend.
She said: “If I would be the president of the next European Commission, I would have a commissioner for defence.”
