Four days with Ursula von der Leyen
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has started touring member states to rally support for her second mandate and strengthen relationships with national centre-right leaders. The latest visits were to Split, Croatia, and the Italian capital Rome.
Our politics reporter Max Griera, who followed von der Leyen across Europe for four days, joined us to explain what happened during her tour and what main messages VDL wanted to communicate ahead of the EU elections in June.
In this episode you will find:
- Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, is campaigning for re-election as the lead candidate of the European People’s Party (EPP).
- Although she cannot receive votes directly, she is campaigning on behalf of EPP member parties in different member states.
- The purpose of her campaign tour is to rally support for member parties and solidify her position within the EPP.
- Balancing her role as commission president and lead candidate poses challenges for von der Leyen.
- Her main speaking points during the campaign include competitiveness, defense, support for Ukraine, strengthening European democracy, and continuation of the Green Deal.
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