European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen to seek second term

Chris Benson
·2 min read
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, speaks during a plenary session in the Congress Hall at the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland in January. She said Monday she will seek a second term as leader of the European Commission. Photo by Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, speaks during a plenary session in the Congress Hall at the 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland in January. She said Monday she will seek a second term as leader of the European Commission. Photo by Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA
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Feb. 19 (UPI) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday said she will seek a second term in the job ahead of June's EU election.

Von der Leyen, 65, said in Berlin during a Christian Democratic Union party meeting that she was "grateful" for being nominated for a second term. The party's leader said she was nominated "unanimously." She is the first woman to hold the position.

In Berlin after the party meeting, she said "the most important thing is democracy, the rule of law that we defend and the peace that we have together," according to The Irish Times. She said among her priorities would be to boost economic competitiveness, harness artificial intelligence and a migration pact.

"Europe will ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, working alongside our international partners," von der Leyen said Monday on social media.

Boris Rhein -- a CDU politician and minister-president of Germany's state of Hesse -- said Monday that von der Leyen stood for "the peace and prosperity project of Europe" and for "security and stability in a time full of challenges."

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) with European Council President Charles Michel (C) at the White House during a U.S.-EU Summit in October 2023. Von der Leyen was Germany's Defense Minister. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) with European Council President Charles Michel (C) at the White House during a U.S.-EU Summit in October 2023. Von der Leyen was Germany's Defense Minister. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI

"Europe must be a player on the world stage and not become a pawn of other power centers," Rhein said on social media.

Her possible second term comes as Russia's war with Ukraine appears to have no end in sight with the possibility of a return of former President Donald Trump to the White House and a reversal of current U.S. policies.

Von der Leyen said far-right enemies such as Russia's President Vladimir Putin "want to destroy" democracy in Europe. "That is why it is so important that people help to ensure that their Europe is preserved," she said.

The European People's Party President Manfred Weber said he "welcomed" von der Leyen's nomination. "A strong Europe needs strong leadership from the EPP and Ursula von der Leyen," he said on X.

Von der Leyen -- Germany's former Defense Minister -- was a "compromise choice" to lead the European parliament in 2019 and to stay in it she must get the support of the governing parties in the republics of Greece, Ireland, Lithuania and the kingdom of Sweden.

She must win a vote in March in Bucharest before June's final vote for the EU job in Brussels, Belgium.