Brussels – EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen fell so severely ill with pneumonia shortly after the New Year that she had to be temporarily treated in a hospital. According to information from the German Press Agency, the 66-year-old spent about a week in total at the University Hospital in Hanover. However, she is reportedly doing significantly better now and can work from home.
On Instagram, the politician posted a photo of herself on Friday, showing her working from her home office. From the EU Commission , it was said that von der Leyen was never under intensive medical care. She also maintained daily contact with her team while in the hospital.
EU Commission spokespersons had previously only confirmed that von der Leyen is battling a severe case of pneumonia and canceled her external appointments for the first two weeks of January. It was stated that the President was conducting her official duties from Hanover and remained in close daily contact with her team. If all goes well, she would be fully recovered by the middle of the month and able to work from her office in the Brussels Commission building again.
Von der Leyen called Meloni
Von der Leyen spoke in recent days, among others, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, before Meloni met the future US President Donald Trump in Florida. A conversation with the new acting Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg is planned for this Saturday. Whether von der Leyen will be able to lead the weekly meeting of EU commissioners next Wednesday is set to be decided by her spokeswoman at the beginning of the week.
The fact that von der Leyen was hospitalized was not previously communicated. In Brussels, the statement that the German CDU politician was conducting her official duties from Hanover was mostly interpreted to mean that she was working from home. The background is that the Hanover region is von der Leyen’s home. When she is not in Brussels or traveling, she lives there in the small village of Beinhorn.
Pneumonia (medically: pneumonitis) is an inflammation of the lung tissue, often caused by infections with bacteria, viruses, or, less commonly, fungi. It can affect one or both lungs and varies in severity from mild to life-threatening—depending on the cause and the health condition of the affected person. (January 12)
