European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has confirmed her intention to lead the institution for another five years.
The statement was made in Berlin during the session of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU).
In doing so, Ursula ended weeks of speculation in Brussels about her political future, also linked to NATO, and intensified the battle for the post of president of the commission, the European Union's most powerful institution.
Von der Leyen's nomination will be confirmed by a vote in early March at the annual congress of her political family, the center-right European People's Party (EPP). EPP has set February 21 as the deadline for the submission of internal applications.
The president of the European Commission is appointed at the discretion of EU leaders after considering the results of the European elections, meaning that the first-placed party enjoys the unwritten privilege of controlling the executive branch. Socialists and liberals usually divide the remaining leadership positions among themselves.
