Ursula von der Leyen forced to cancel several key engagements after contracting 'severe' illness
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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been forced to cancel her engagements for the next two weeks after being diagnosed with severe pneumonia.
The 66-year-old EU chief will miss several key appointments - and has already been forced to drop out of Friday evening's inauguration of the Polish EU presidency.
Ursula von der Leyen has been forced to cancel her engagements for the next two weeks
REUTERS
The illness was confirmed yesterday by a European Commission spokesman, who announced the cancellation of her upcoming commitments for early January.
Commission spokesman Stefan De Keersmaeker confirmed the severity of her condition in a statement.
"She is dealing with severe pneumonia," De Keersmaeker said, though no further details were provided about her condition or how she fell ill.
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'She is dealing with severe pneumonia,' spokesman Stefan De Keersmaeker said
PAHe explained that Von der Leyen's agenda has had to be cleared of upcoming commitments.
Among the cancelled engagements are meetings scheduled in Lisbon and Poland.
The latter is particularly significant - with Poland having just taken over the EU's rotating presidency of the 27-nation bloc.
The Commission president's absence from the Polish EU presidency inauguration on Friday evening marks one of several key appointments she will miss during her recovery period.
Her schedule has been cleared for the first two weeks of January whilst she recovers from the illness.
Ms Von der Leyen has only recently begun her second five-year term leading the EU's powerful executive office.
The 66-year-old continues to serve at the top of the European Commission, one of the most influential positions within the European Union.
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