There is no need yet to designate a replacement for Ursula von der Leyen as she battles a severe case of pneumonia, her spokesperson has said.
Ursula von der Leyen will keep performing her regular duties as president of the European Commission and will not yet delegate any tasks to a replacement while she battles a severe case of pneumonia.
The diagnosis has prevented von der Leyen’s return to Brussels after the winter break and prompted the cancellation of all her external appointments, including the scheduled visit of the entire College of Commissioner to Gdańsk to mark the beginning of Poland’s six-month presidency of the EU Council.
The Commission president is currently recovering in Hanover, Germany, and is expected to return to the Belgian capital by mid-January.
“Pneumonia is a serious illness and needs to be taken seriously, and that’s what the President is doing,” Paula Pinho, the Commission’s chief spokesperson, said on Monday as she updated journalists on the president’s health status.
“This being said, persistent and dedicated as she is, she’s keeping the business running. She’s in daily contact with her team,” the spokesperson added.
Von der Leyen held a phone call with Georgia Meloni before the Italian premier flew to Florida to meet US President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday, Pinho said as an example.
“For the moment, there has been no need to designate the member of the College who would be following the order of replacement,” she added.
Under the hierarchy established by von der Leyen at the start of her second mandate, the next in line to assume her duties would be Teresa Ribera, the Executive Vice President for a Clean, Just and Competitive Transition.
Should von der Leyen remain unable to host the weekly meeting of the College, which takes place every Wednesday, Ribera would be called upon to fill her shoes. Ribera could take up further responsibilities if the incapacitation worsened.
There is no College meeting scheduled for this week.
“Next week, we’ll see,” Pinho said. “Depending on what will be the status of progress of the president, we’ll then see if she’s able to be back or there will be a replacement.”
Asked about the visit to Gdańsk, previously scheduled for 9-10 January, the spokesperson indicated no new date had been decided with the Polish government.
It is a long-held tradition for the entire College of Commissioners to travel together to the country holding the rotating presidency in the first weeks of the tenure.
Last year, von der Leyen broke with the precedent when she called off her appearance in Budapest in reaction to Viktor Orbán’s highly controversial “peace mission”, which saw the Hungarian premier meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and triggered a barrage of criticism. Von der Leyen later described Orbán’s diplomacy as an “appeasement mission”.
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs and causes cough with phlegm, fever, chills and difficulty breathing, among other symptoms. The severity of the disease ranges from mild to life-threatening. People older than 65, like von der Leyen, who is 66, are at higher risk of developing a severe case.
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