Von der Leyen seeks second term as Europe chief with promise to ‘defend democracy’
Ursula von der Leyen will run for re-election as President of the European Commission.
Ms von der Leyen, 65, promised to defend the EU’s values at a time of conflict around the world and rising nationalism.
She was nominated by her German conservative party to fly the flag of a broad centre-right alliance at European Parliament elections in June.
She has been in office since 2019 and is seeking a second five-year term as head of the commission, the EU’s headquarters that runs joint European policies on issues from climate change to defence.
Polls suggest she is well placed for re-election, with the European People’s Party – which could confirm her nomination at a congress next month – leading its rivals despite rising support for farright parties.
She would then need backing from the 27 EU leaders.
They overlooked the leading candidates in 2019 to parachute in Ms von der Leyen as a surprise compromise choice.
Outlining campaign themes in Berlin, Ms von der Leyen said “the overarching headline” was a mission to “defend democracy and values”.
“We want to strengthen democracy,” she said. “We want to address all the challenges around us, but in a way that people know that there’s safety and security within the European Union for them.”
A challenging first term coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, war in Ukraine and Gaza, plus economic turmoil.
She has pledged to put a greater focus on defence, exploit the opportunities of AI and continue the EU’s work to make its economy greener and more competitive if she wins.
“The world today is a completely different one to 2019,” Ms von der Leyen said.
There is no major challenger to her on the centre-right. The Party of European Socialists has pencilled in Luxembourg’s Nicolas Schmit as its lead candidate for the poll, which takes place between June 6 and 9.
The president may have to navigate Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with the Republican front-runner already ruffling Nato’s feathers.