Von der Leyen will announce her candidacy for a second term on February 19

Ursula von der Leyen will most likely announce her candidacy for a second term as president of the European Commission (EC) on February 19 in Berlin, according to officials familiar with the German politician's plans, Politico reported.
On the same day, a meeting of the party leadership of Von der Leyen's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is being held in the German capital, at which it is expected to officially approve her nomination as the center-right party's leading candidate for the European Parliament elections in June.
The CDU's pan-European party family, the European People's Party (EPP), will have to confirm the current EC chief's nomination at a party congress in Bucharest on March 6-7, although this is considered a formality given the CDU's political weight and the lack of other EPP candidates.
As lead candidate, or "Spitzenkandidat", von der Leyen will lead the EPP's election campaign, although she is not running for a seat in the European Parliament. Instead, she will stand to be reappointed as head of the Commission for the period 2024-2029 - a decision that is made by EU leaders but must be confirmed by a vote in Parliament.
A CDU spokesman said: "I can confirm that a party leadership meeting is planned for February 19," but declined to comment further.
Even last year, the CDU leader Friedrich Merz said that he wanted von der Leyen to run for a second term as chairman of the Commission./BGNES