Von der Leyen nominates her candidacy for post of President of European Commission for second term
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has announced her intention to take over the post for the second time.
According to Censor.NET, von der Leyen said this at a press conference on Monday, 19 February.
"When I took office as President of the European Commission in 2019, I firmly believed in Europe. Europe is my homeland, as is Lower Saxony. And when I was offered the presidency of the European Commission, I immediately intuitively said yes. Today, five years later, I have made a conscious and well-considered decision to run for a second term," she said.
Von der Leyen said she was grateful to the leadership of the Christian Democratic Union party for offering her candidacy. In particular, to the CDU leader Friedrich Merz, with whom von der Leyen spoke on Sunday, 18 February, and in the morning of 19 February.
"Over the past 5 years, we have done more together than we could have ever imagined. Over these 5 years, not only my sacrifice for Europe has grown, but also my understanding of how much this Europe can do for people," the current President of the European Commission said.
She noted that Europe had withstood the coronavirus pandemic and did not slip into recession.
Von der Leyen reminded that when Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, and the largest country in Europe started the biggest war since 1945, Europe immediately got involved and took Ukraine's side from day one.
"And if you remember the first days, Putin tried to bring us to our knees. He tried to blackmail us with Russian oil and gas. But we did not give up. And we have a long way to go," she added.
Traditionally, the post of President of the European Commission goes to the so-called key candidate from the party that wins the most votes in European elections.
Currently, the European People's Party, which includes the CDU, is leading the polls, so there is a good chance that von der Leyen will remain president of the European Commission.
