EU Commission von der Leyen has fallen ill with ‘severe pneumonia’ and has cancelled all her appointments for the next two weeks, her office has announced.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been diagnosed with “severe pneumonia” and has cancelled her engagements for the next two weeks, her office announced on Friday.
Spokesman Stefan De Keersmaeker stated that von der Leyen’s schedule had been cleared. The Commission president was due to visit Warsaw as Poland marked the beginning of its six-month EU Council presidency with an opening gala. Von der Leyen was also due to make a speech in Lisbon.
“She is dealing with severe pneumonia,” spokesperson De Keersmaeker said in a statement, though he provided no further details on her condition or the cause of her illness.
At 66, von der Leyen had only just embarked on her second five-year term at the helm of the EU’s powerful executive body.