The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has canceled all her external commitments for the next fortnight due to “severe pneumonia”, but is nevertheless continuing to work, a European spokesperson said on Friday. Ms. von der Leyen, 66, is in Hanover, Germany, where she “continues to carry out her duties, in close and daily contact with her team” in Brussels, this spokesperson added.
“The president has canceled all her external commitments for the first two weeks of January,” he said, interviewed by AFP. Ursula von der Leyen was due to travel during this period to Lisbon and Gdansk on the occasion of the launch of the half-yearly Polish presidency of the European Union. His trip to Poland is postponed, said this spokesperson.
Since January 1 and until the end of June, Poland has held the rotating presidency of the Council of Ministers of the EU. Ms von der Leyen has been head of the European Commission since December 2019. Her five-year mandate was renewed on December 1, 2024.
