According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the year 2024, which has just begun, is „a key year for democracy.“ „We have the elections in Europe, we have the elections in the United States of America. And we will do everything we can to ensure that open, free democracies prevail,“ said von der Leyen on Saturday at the CSU parliamentary group’s retreat in Seeon Monastery in Upper Bavaria. The European Parliament will be re-elected at the beginning of June, followed by the presidential election in the USA in the fall.