EU chief von der Leyen cancels engagements due to pneumonia

The EU Commission chief is working from home, a Commission spokesperson said.

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The Commission does not have an official succession plan for if the president is incapacitated, but von der Leyen has previously named Teresa Ribera, the climate chief, as "first" vice president of the EU executive. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)

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Euractiv with AFP Jan 3, 2025 18:28 1 min. read Content type: News

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European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has cancelled her travel plans until mid-January because of a "severe" case of pneumonia, her office said Friday.

The German politician, 66, is carrying out her duties from her home city of Hanover and remains in close contact with her team, a spokesman for the Commission said.

"The president has cancelled her external engagements for the first two weeks of January. She is dealing with a severe pneumonia," the spokesman said.

The Commission does not have an official succession plan if the president is incapacitated, but von der Leyen has previously named Teresa Ribera, the climate chief, as "first" vice president of the EU executive.

Among the events that von der Leyen, who has led the Commission since 2019, had to call off were a speech in Lisbon and a trip next week to Gdansk in Poland.

The latter, which was to mark the launch of the Polish presidency of the Council of the European Union will take place at a later stage, the spokesman said.