Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, has confirmed her intention to lead the executive for five more years.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has declared her intention to run for a second
00:05 term.
00:07 She made the announcement after a meeting with the leadership of the Christian Democratic
00:10 Union Party in Berlin.
00:13 Five years ago, she decided to run for office rather ad hoc.
00:18 This time, the situation is completely different, she says.
00:22 "Today, five years later, I make a very conscious and well-considered decision.
00:30 The world today is a completely different one than in 2019.
00:35 We have gone through a lot together in the past five years and I think you could say
00:40 we have achieved more than we could ever imagine.
00:44 In these five years, not only has my passion for Europe grown, but of course also my experience
00:52 with Europe and how much this Europe can do for its people."
00:57 Von der Leyen will now stand as the European People's Party lead candidate in the European
01:02 Parliament elections in June.
01:04 By announcing her candidacy, von der Leyen has put an end to a months-long speculation
01:08 about her political future.
01:11 Her second term in Brussels would have one overriding objective, she says.
01:16 "We want to strengthen democracy of Europe in the European Union and we want to address
01:25 all the challenges around us, but in a way that people know that there's safety and security
01:33 within the European Union for them."
01:35 For many across the world, von der Leyen has become the main European interlocutor.
01:40 Her re-election would ensure continuity as the world faces multiple crises.
01:45 "I'm not going to be able to do that.
01:46 I'm not going to be able to do that.
01:47 I'm not going to be able to do that.
01:48 I'm not going to be able to do that.
01:49 I'm not going to be able to do that.