European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen isn’t thinking about running in Germany’s 2027 presidential election, the German politician said in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.
“I am fully committed to my duties as president of the Commission and am not available for other positions,” von der Leyen said in written answers to questions from outlets in the Leading European Newspaper Alliance.
Von der Leyen, who was reappointed as head of the Commission last year, has held the post since 2019. Reports in German media this summer seemed to suggest she might be leaving the EU executive before the end of her term — in 2029 — to run for the German presidency.
Other topics addressed in the interview ranged from defense, the EU-U.S. trade deal and the situation in Gaza. Von der Leyen repeated that “true security” needed to be found for Israel while all Palestinians deserve “a secure present and future.”
The president said that the two-state solution is “the only prospect for lasting peace in the region.” The Israeli government’s actions in the last month are “a clear attempt to undermine” this solution, she said.
This is the reason why the Commission decided to propose a set of “targeted and proportionate measures” against Israel over findings of human rights abuses in Gaza, she said. Still, “I am aware that it is difficult to find majorities,” von der Leyen said.
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