RTVS | EU leaders discussed the new European Commission

On Monday, June 17, an informal meeting of the 27 member states of the European Union took place. Their leaders discussed the nominations of members for the new European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen will also have to compete for her position as President of the European Commission again. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, discussed her chances on the Slovak television RTVS.

No matter what anyone thinks about Ursula von der Leyen, she has led Europe through very difficult crises. Whether it was the coronavirus pandemic or the war in Ukraine – these were moments when the European Commission shone. Of course, we can discuss details such as the PfizerGate scandal, but I believe it is objectively evident that Europe managed these crises without being deeply divided or scarred by them, despite the challenging times. Therefore, I think von der Leyen's position is relatively strong, and the majority of member states clearly support her.

You can listen to the entire interview here from the 7th minute.

Viktor Daněk
Deputy Director

Before entering the NGO sphere, Viktor Daněk worked for almost ten years as a journalist. During his time with the public service Czech radio, he focused mainly on covering EU affairs. He spent almost five years as a permanent correspondent in Brussels, where he cooperated with other media outlets. Before his career in journalism, he gained experience in the area of marketing and communication in the Česká spořitelna banking group and at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He holds university degrees in Media Studies and International Relations. Viktor Daněk joined the EUROPEUM Institute for European Policy in October 2023. He continues to be active in the media as a freelancer. His main areas of interest are institutional questions of European integration, globalisation and the EU’s climate and migration policy.