Von der Leyen's EU re-election campaign: Balancing act

2024-05-26 22:28:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

A small group of protesters wait for Ursula von der Leyen before an election event in Rome. As her car arrives, they chant "Free Palestine! Stop the genocide!", angry at what they see as von der Leyen's bias against Israel.

As President of the European Commission, the executive of the European Union (EU), von der Leyen went to Tel Aviv in October 2023 to offer the EU's unconditional support to Israel in the fight against Hamas. It was later criticized by some EU member states and diplomats for allegedly not representing the values ??of the EU as a whole.

Inside the building in central Rome a friendlier crowd welcomes him with applause. The young people who have gathered here, most of them men wearing blue suits, are members or supporters of Forza Italia.

Von der Leyen's EU re-election campaign: Balancing act

What does it take to be a strong leader?

Forza Italia is one of the parties that form the centre-right alliance in the EU, which has chosen von der Leyen as the main candidate for the European elections in early June.

In Rome von der Leyen. speaks of her determination to continue working for a stronger and more prosperous Europe. One of the few women in the audience wants to know what it takes for a woman to be a strong leader.

Von der Leyen, mother of seven children and grandmother, answers with a smile: "You have to believe in yourself". "I was shy", she says, "I had a lot of doubts. Today I would say that I have lost opportunities". Von der Leyen then goes on to talk about how important it is to connect work and family: "Don't let others judge you! And you have to have a strong network of women."

Von der Leyen's EU re-election campaign: Balancing act

Ursula von der Leyen, the most powerful woman in the world?

Many in the room appreciate her record as president of the European Commission, including successful efforts in procuring vaccines on behalf of the European Union during the coronavirus pandemic, or her leadership in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine.

Von der Leyen has been described by international media as "Europe's crisis manager par excellence" and the most powerful woman in the world. She likes to present herself as a guarantor, able to lead the EU through troubled times. However, her re-election campaign is a difficult balancing act.

Von der Leyen likes to campaign, especially to talk to young people, sources from her campaign team tell DW. According to them, she wants to engage and convince young people that Europe has a lot of power.

Von der Leyen's EU re-election campaign: Balancing act

Campaign with the blessing of political parties

In Rome a planned discussion at a university is canceled because Forza Italia wants von der Leyen to have a meeting with farmers and Europe's climate goals. After all, she campaigns with the blessing of political parties across Europe who support her candidacy.

For someone like Ursula von der Leyen, who is not one to improvise and is known for her preference for having everything in perfect order, this can make campaigning challenging at times. But von der Leyen's main goal is to ensure that the parties that form her political family, the center-right European People's Party, emerge the strongest force after the European elections.

Such an expected result would make von der Leyen the favorite to remain at the head of the EU executive. But even then it also needs the support of the 27 leaders of the EU member states and a majority of the new European Parliament.

So the campaign is challenging for von der Leyen. Her main concern is winning over many people at the moment - at least until she manages to secure her second term in office./ DW