BRUSSELS — The European Commission denied Monday that it obscured the full extent of President Ursula von der Leyen’s illness, after it failed to disclose that she was in hospital for around a week this month.
“We … gave you the critical information about the health status of the president by saying what sickness she had and how serious it was, and we clarified that the president was in a position to keep the business running,” said Paula Pinho, the Commission’s chief spokesperson. “Her ability to act was never in question,” she added.
“We are a serious democratic institution,” Pinho insisted at a press conference where she repeatedly tried to shut down journalists’ questions by changing the topic.
The Commission informed journalists on Jan. 3 that von der Leyen was suffering from “severe” pneumonia, but did not disclose that she had been hospitalized, even after direct questioning. German newswire DPA broke the news on Jan. 10, which is the same day von der Leyen left hospital, according to Pinho.
Pinho said that von der Leyen entered a hospital in Hanover for about a week after a medical appointment on Jan. 2. “The president was never on a respirator or in intensive care,” the senior official said.
“Can the Commission be run from a hospital? It really depends on the status of the person, of the patient,” Pinho said.
The Commission has been somewhat resistant to delegation so far, but von der Leyen’s No. 2, Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, will step in to chair Wednesday’s commissioners’ meeting.
Pinho said that von der Leyen should be well enough to hold meetings by the end of the week, and will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland next week.
Ketrin Jochecová contributed reporting.
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