The EU’s top official Ursula von der Leyen has joined a growing list of climate stalwarts planning to give this year’s COP29 conference a miss.
The European Commission confirmed its president would not attend the talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, next week — despite being listed on a schedule of speakers released Monday.
Von der Leyen is currently trying to install a new set of commissioners and hearings are taking place in the European Parliament throughout this week and next.
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A spokesperson for the Commission, Tim McPhie, said this was why she couldn’t get away. “The Commission is in a transition phase and the President will therefore focus on her institutional duties,” he said.
