Seznam Zprávy | By electing von der Leyen MEPs prioritized stability

The current head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will remain at the helm of the EU's most prominent body, as decided by MEPs on Thursday. Although Thursday's vote was expected to be close, she ultimately secured 401 votes, forty more than needed. She even achieved a better result than five years ago, when she won by just nine votes. Viktor Daněk, Deputy Director of EUROPEUM Institute, gave an interview to Seznam Zprávy about her re-election.

MEPs prioritized stability over experimentation. They have come to know Ursula von der Leyen very well over the past five years and know what to expect from her. Especially in the complex situation Europe is currently facing, I think it's more than reasonable to bet on someone who has proven themselves in the crises Europe has experienced in recent years, such as COVID-19 or the war in Ukraine. Of course, many controversies have arisen around her. It’s certainly not the case that everyone is absolutely satisfied with her, but I think she has demonstrated her ability to improvise in objectively very challenging times.

You can read the full interview here.

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.