Head of the European Commission: According to the report, Von der Leyen is back in power Netanyahu: Offensive in Rafah will come – the night update

Ursula von der Leyen is seeking a second term as President of the European Commission. The CDU politician explained this on Monday during a meeting of the party leadership in Berlin, the German Press Agency learned from the CDU’s federal board of directors.

Von der Leyen said he was looking forward to the joint election campaign, it was said.

The position of President of the European Commission must be filled after the European elections in June. As a rule, a candidate from the European party family who performs best in the European elections is appointed. The EPP is clearly at the forefront of research so far. There is therefore a good chance that Von der Leyen can remain president.

“Forbes”: Von der Leyen is the most powerful woman in the world

As President of the European Commission, Von der Leyen has been in charge of around 32,000 employees since December 1, 2019, who, among other things, propose new EU laws and monitor compliance with the European Treaties. The 65-year-old also sits at the table as an EU representative at almost all major international summits such as the G7 or the G20. The American magazine Forbes recently called Von der Leyen the ‘most powerful woman in the world’.

Von der Leyen’s term in office has so far been mainly determined by the Corona crisis and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. During the pandemic, the European Commission organized, among other things, the joint procurement of vaccines and developed a huge reconstruction program for the economy.

In connection with the war in Ukraine, the authority is now mainly responsible for organizing support for the country attacked by Russia and making proposals for sanctions against Russia. The authority’s other key areas of responsibility include European trade, competition and environmental policy. Von der Leyen is particularly interested in the goal of making the EU the world’s first climate-neutral economic power by 2050.

Before moving to Brussels, Von der Leyen served as Minister of Defense under then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU). The mother of seven children has a doctorate in medicine and was also Minister of Family Affairs, Minister of Labor and Minister of Social Affairs in Lower Saxony.

Even during her first term, she was considered the ideal candidate

As early as 2019, she was considered, at least on paper, the ideal person for the position at the top of the committee. Von der Leyen was born in Brussels in 1958 – the year in which Walter Hallstein became the first and, until Von der Leyen, the last German head of the Commission. Von der Leyen’s father, the later Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Ernst Albrecht, worked for this committee. The daughter went to the European school and therefore she speaks French and English well.

The election of the EPP candidate for the top position will take place at a party congress on March 7. It is certain that Von der Leyen will receive the necessary majority of votes there. Possible opponents are not yet known. In addition to the German CDU and CSU, the European EPP party family includes the Austrian ÖVP, the Italian Forza Italia and the Spanish conservative People’s Party PP.

Skeptical MEPs

To this day, it is mainly European parliamentarians who are skeptical about Von der Leyen. One reason for this is that the German was nominated for office by the heads of state and government in 2019, while she had previously not stood as a top candidate in the European elections. According to them, the European Council has violated the so-called top candidate system. This stipulates that only the parties’ top candidates may be considered as President of the European Commission in the European elections.

For the Christian Democrats this was CSU politician Manfred Weber. Ultimately, however, he failed to get a majority of heads of state and government in the European Council to support his election.

It is certain that the traffic light government consisting of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP would not oppose Von der Leyen if the Christian Democrats were to once again become the strongest political force in the EU at the European elections in June. The reason is, among other things, that otherwise a candidate from another EU country would be selected.

According to information from the German Press Agency, the focus of Ursula von der Leyen’s election campaign will be on the EU’s competitiveness. Together with the current Commission, it recently initiated a procedure to take action against the massively subsidized electric cars from China. Von der Leyen also supports the idea of ​​appointing a European defense commissioner. If she remained president of the Commission, she would appoint a defense commissioner, the German politician said on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. (sda/dpa)