Ursula von der Leyen spoke for an hour on everything from Ukraine to climate change to China to irregular migration and EU expansion. However, she did not say if she wanted to stay in her job past next year's elections.
Von der Leyen's speech sounded like 'reelection speech,' DW correspondent says
Alexandra von Nahmen, DW Brussels Bureau Chief who was covering von der Leyen's speech from Strasbourg, said the European Commission president's speech sounded to her like a "re-election speech," even though she steered clear of addressing whether she intended to run for a second term.
Von Nahmen said the speech gave the impression that "she would like to stay on," describing it as an optimistic speech.
"Of course she didn't announce that she's ready to run again as president of the European Commission, but the energy she has shown, the goals that she presented, making clear she's ready to take on the challenges and she's ready to address the many issues that were listed in her speech."
Von der Leyen certainly tried to emphasize the pace of change during her tenure, seeming to tout her legacy as a far-reaching and significant one for the bloc.
Source: DW
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