Ursula von der Leyen nominated as candidate for European Commission President

The European Union's leading political group, the center-right European People's Party (EPP), voted Thursday, March 7, to support European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as its candidate for the position for a second term, Reuters reported.

The vast majority of EPP delegates supported the nomination of Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for another five years in one of the highest positions in the EU. 400 votes were cast in favor and only 89 against. An official decision on this will be made after the all-bloc parliamentary elections in June this year.

Speaking at the party congress in Bucharest, von der Leyen called the war in Ukraine, the crisis in Gaza destabilizing the Middle East, and the rise of China key challenges for the 27 EU countries, whose total population exceeds 450 million people.

"As of today, I am the EPP lead candidate for the European elections from 6-9 June 2024. Please follow @vonderleyen_epp for news relating to my campaign. - This account will continue to focus on my work as President of the EU Commission,” von der Leyen later wrote on X.

As previously reported, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, strongly condemned the vile attack on Odesa by russia on March 6 during the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.