BRUSSELS — The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is currently suffering from “severe pneumonia,” prompting the cancellation of her scheduled engagements for the upcoming two weeks, as announced by her office on Friday.
A spokesperson, Stefan De Keersmaeker, noted that von der Leyen’s calendar had to be adjusted to remove her planned meetings in Lisbon and Poland, which has recently assumed the rotating presidency of the European Union, consisting of 27 member states.
In a statement, De Keersmaeker confirmed, “She is dealing with severe pneumonia,” but did not provide additional information regarding her health status or the circumstances leading to her illness.
At the age of 66, von der Leyen has just begun her second consecutive five-year term in the influential role leading the EU’s executive branch.