Did the head of the European Commission excuse illness for not participating in the swearing-in ceremony of Poland’s presidency in the European Union? This is what Internet users are saying, sending information and photos that Ursula von der Leyen visited Greenland at the same time. That’s how much truth there is in this message.
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Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, will not come to Gdańsk for the external meeting of the European Commission related to the opening of the Polish presidency in the Council of the European Union, said the spokesperson of the European Union Stefan de Keersmaeker on January 3, 2025. The reason for this illness is acute pneumonia. Therefore, the external meeting of the commission in Poland, scheduled for January 9 and 10 in Gdansk, will be held the next day. On January 6, another spokeswoman for the European Commission, Paula Pinho, announced that von der Leyen, despite her illness, is working remotely and there is no need to appoint her deputy.
On January 1, Poland officially assumed the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The swearing-in ceremony of the presidency was held on January 3 at the Grand Theater – National Opera in Warsaw, that is, on the same day that the European Union office reported about von der Leyen’s illness. The President of the European Council, Antonio Costa, took part in the ceremony. Von der Leyen’s participation in this event was not planned.
“Greenland is more important than Poland and Donald”?
Meanwhile, a message quickly spread on social media that illness was just an excuse for von der Leyen not to come to Poland for the swearing-in ceremony. According to the report, which has spread in recent days on social media, but also on television, the head of the European Commission flew to Greenland in early January.
One of the proofs is a short entry posted on January 4th on X’s website by an English-speaking user. “New: Greenland Prime Minister Mute Egede calls for independence from Denmark as Donald Trump steps up calls for annexation. “It’s time for our country to take the next step,” Egede said at the start of the article. post. Contents it focuses on Greenland and does not mention von der Leyen. Joined by Mute Egede and Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen (Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark) In this recording we hear the Prime Minister of Greenland say in English: “Here in Greenland we need development. We need economic growth and diversification of our economy. Of course, we first welcome strong partners in like-minded countries. But if they don’t invest, there are many companies that want to invest in our country.
This entry attracted the attention of many Polish Internet users. “He got well! ;))))” – said one of them on January 4 with an English post with his recording. His video has been viewed more than 24,000 times. times Other X users wrote the same: “The President of the European Commission has recovered and recovered in Greenland. Miracles”; “Greenland more important than Poland and Donald – master level insult”; “Who invented this acute pneumonia? You’re stuck with this nonsense, like Himilsbach in English. Did you seriously think it wouldn’t work these days, it’s a lie?”; “It seems that @vonderleyen’s illness was a myth. The kings did not want to participate in the scene of #Tusk’s birthday. Even those who imprisoned him in Warsaw” (original spelling of all entries).
Entries about possible visit of Ursula von der Leyen to Greenland January 3, 2025x.com
Some netizens shared a screenshot of a piece of the article in their posts as evidence that Ursula von der Leyen actually visited Greenland in early January 2025. The English headline reads: “Greenland PM calls for independence from Denmark: ‘It’s time to take the next step.'” Below you can see a photo of Ursula von der Leyen behind the Greenland PM, right is standing
The misleading message is illustrated with an old x.com photo
Below is a photo of the publication date: January 3, 2025. The date is circled in red and is visible in von der Leyen’s photo.
“Finally, what’s going on!? Some people write that Ms. Ursula von der Leyen is sick, and that’s why she won’t come to Poland. And what will happen to her? If there is no treatment for pneumonia in Greenland,” one of them explained. Internet users. “Hey ruby, pneumonia is best treated in Greenland,” said the anonymous netizen who also shared the screenshot. “The diplomatic disease was called that. But no one expected that people would run away from the king of Europe”; “Miracle, Mr. Miracle”; “He passed away quickly from pneumonia”; “This is the avatar of Mrs. Urzula”; “Urszula did not want Donald…” – explained other Internet users.
But some noted: “But this is probably not a current photo. Maybe there was no meeting there at that time”; “Someone here has already proven that this tape is from last year.”
Materials from last year’s trip
The recording of the press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, Mute Egede and Mette Frederiksen is really old – this meeting took place on March 15, 2024. Vedi, the head of the European Commission, visited Greenland for the opening of the EU Office in Nuuk, the capital of this territory. A video of von der Leyen’s press statement during the press conference on 15 March 2024 is available on the European Commission’s website. The decoration of the room and the clothes of the politicians match.
The screenshot shared by netizens is an excerpt from an article by Breitbart, which is known for publishing fake news. The article titled “Greenland PM calls for independence from Denmark: ‘It’s time to take the next step'” was published on January 3, 2025. In it, Egede reports on Greenland’s current relationship with Denmark and its expectations for the country’s independence. Egede also reports that the draft constitution of Greenland has been prepared.
Except that the current article on Breitbart is illustrated with an old photo from Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to the island. This photo is available on the Getty Images database with the description: “Greenland Prime Minister Mute B Egede, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen tour the city during a meeting to mark the opening of the new European Commission office in Nuuk, Greenland, March 15, 2024”. The author of the photo is Leif Josefsen, a photographer from Greenland.
Efforts for Greenland
Greenland was in the news at the end of the year, because the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, wrote on his social network that “for the purposes of national security and freedom around the world, the United States of America believes that the possession and control of Greenland is necessary. “Absolutely.” Trump returned to the same issue during his first term in the White House, when he tried to buy Greenland. In response to Trump’s tweets, Mute Egede declared: “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and never will be. We cannot lose our long struggle for freedom.”
As Greenland and Denmark media reported, on January 7, 2025, Donald Trump Jr., the son of the future president of the United States, announced his visit to the island.
Main photo source: Radek Pietruszka/PAP
