Commission
stonewalls criticism after hiding von der Leyen’s week-long hospitalization
The
Commission can be run from a hospital bed, an EU spokesperson says.
January 13,
2025 5:51 pm CET
By Eddy Wax
BRUSSELS —
The European Commission denied Monday that it obscured the full extent of
President Ursula von der Leyen’s illness, after it failed to disclose that she
was in hospital for around a week this month.
“We … gave
you the critical information about the health status of the president by saying
what sickness she had and how serious it was, and we clarified that the
president was in a position to keep the business running,” said Paula Pinho,
the Commission’s chief spokesperson. “Her ability to act was never in
question,” she added.
“We are a
serious democratic institution,” Pinho insisted at a press conference where she
repeatedly tried to shut down journalists’ questions by changing the topic.
The
Commission informed journalists on Jan. 3 that von der Leyen was suffering from
“severe” pneumonia, but did not disclose that she had been hospitalized, even
after direct questioning. German newswire DPA broke the news on Jan. 10, which
is the same day von der Leyen left hospital, according to Pinho.
Pinho said
that von der Leyen entered a hospital in Hanover for about a week after a
medical appointment on Jan. 2. “The president was never on a respirator or in
intensive care,” the senior official said.
“Can the
Commission be run from a hospital? It really depends on the status of the
person, of the patient,” Pinho said.
The
Commission has been somewhat resistant to delegation so far, but von der
Leyen’s No. 2, Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, will step in to chair
Wednesday’s commissioners’ meeting.
Pinho said
that von der Leyen should be well enough to hold meetings by the end of the
week, and will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week.
Ketrin
Jochecová contributed reporting.
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