EU Commission chief has 'severe pneumonia' and will be out for 2 weeks
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen addresses a media conference at the end of an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Omar Havana
BRUSSELS — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is ill with “severe pneumonia” and has canceled her appointments for the next two weeks, her office announced Friday.
Spokesman Stefan De Keersmaeker said her agenda had to be cleared of meetings in Lisbon and in Poland, which has just taken over the EU's rotating presidency of the 27-nation European Union.
“She is dealing with severe pneunomia,” De Keersmaeker said in a statement, giving no further details about her conditions or how she fell ill.
Von der Leyen, 66, only recently started her second five-year stint at the top of the EU's powerful executive office.
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