Ursula von der Leyen has reportedly been diagnosed with “severe pneumonia,” a spokesperson for the European Commission announced on January 3, specifying that it would not be able to honor its “external commitments” over the next two weeks.
“The president canceled her external commitments for the first two weeks of January. She is suffering from serious pneumonia,” declared European Commission spokesperson Stefan De Keersmaeker on January 3, quoted by Politico.
He clarified that the President of the European Commission would not travel to Lisbon, Portugal, where she was due to give a speech, as well as to Gdansk, Poland, on the occasion of the launch of the Polish Presidency of the Council European.
Ursula von Der Leyen would be in Hanover, Germany, where she “continues to carry out her duties, in close and daily contact with her team” in Brussels, assured Stefan De Keersmaeker.
Aged 66, Ursula von der Leyen began her second five-year term at the head of the European Commission on December 1.
Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. In the first case, pneumonia has been well treated since the discovery of antibiotics. In the second case, however, it can prove fatal, particularly for the elderly and those suffering from chronic health problems.
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