Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, is expected to receive support from her German party for a second term. This would put her in a strong position to continue leading the European Union’s executive body for another five years.
During a party leadership meeting, the Christian Democrats are anticipated to announce von der Leyen as their candidate for the Commission president. This confirms the widespread assumption that she would seek a second term.
If selected, the 65-year-old former German defence minister is likely to become the candidate of the European People’s Party at a congress in Bucharest in March. Von der Leyen, the first woman to hold her position, has led the EU through significant events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Von der Leyen’s potential second term would come as Europe focuses on strengthening its security, with challenges such as Russia’s war on its borders and the possibility of Donald Trump returning to the White House.
During a security conference in Munich, von der Leyen indicated that the Commission would introduce a defense strategy proposal to increase spending and efficiency through joint procurement and industry predictability.
The leaders of the EU’s 27 member countries will select the Commission president after the European Parliament elections in June. Traditionally, they choose a candidate from the party that has come first in the EU elections. As the EPP has a strong lead and von der Leyen enjoys support among EU leaders, she is likely to secure another term.
Her biggest challenge may come from securing a majority in the Parliament to confirm her Commission. Von der Leyen has not publicly expressed whether she wants a second term. However, Daniel Caspary, the head of Germany’s conservatives in the European parliament, has made it clear that he expects the EPP to nominate her.
CDU leader Friedrich Merz and von der Leyen will make a statement on the European election campaign following the party’s federal executive committee meeting on Monday. Despite the rise of far-right parties in some EU states, the EPP has maintained a significant lead in opinion polls among European groups.
(Reporting by Andreas Rinke and Riham Alkousaa, Andrew Gray, Kate Abnett and Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Matthias Williams and Gareth Jones)
