The President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, has been hospitalized in Strasbourg since Wednesday for pneumonia but "
his condition is good
", his spokesman said in a statement on Monday, September 20.
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The 65-year-old Italian (Socialists and Democrats group), had to give up on Wednesday presiding over the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and was unable to attend the annual State of the Union speech by the President of the Ursula von der Leyen Commission.
Pneumonia diagnosed and treated
“
The President of the European Parliament David Sassoli was admitted to the Strasbourg Civil Hospital on the evening of Wednesday 15 September.
After examination, pneumonia was diagnosed and immediately treated with appropriate therapies,
”said spokesperson Roberto Cuillo, specifying that“
his condition is good
”.
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The spokesperson said last week that David Sassoli had a fever on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, and that he had taken anti-Covid tests, which had come out negative.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, wished Monday a "
speedy recovery
" to David Sassoli, on Twitter.
Former journalist and TV news anchor in Italy, David Sassoli was first elected MEP in 2009 under the colors of the center-left.
In 2019, he succeeded as President of the European Parliament to another Italian, Antonio Tajani, a close friend of Silvio Berlusconi from the EPP (right), for a term of two and a half years.
The election of the new President of the European Parliament is due to take place in January. The leader of the EPP group, the German Manfred Weber, has given up standing but still claims the presidency of the Parliament for his family, in the name of an agreement reached between political groups in 2019.
