EU summit gives green light to top European posts: von der Leyen has now been officially nominated as new Commission president

Ursula von der Leyen He was nominated by European Heads of State and Government for a second term as President of the European Commission. If she now finds enough support in the European Parliament, she will be able to succeed on her own. The German Christian Democratic Party was already considered the main contender.

Von der Leyen was elected as the first female president of the European Commission in 2019, succeeding her Luxembourg party colleague Jean-Claude Juncker. Before that, she was a minister for many years under Chancellor Angela Merkel. It was responsible, among other things, for social affairs, housing, family, the elderly, women and youth. From 2013 to 2019 she was Minister of Defense.

As Commission President, von der Leyen is nothing but a gray mouse. For example, it pursued an active policy during the Corona crisis, through the joint European procurement of vaccines. Therefore, it lost its credibility because it negotiated with the vaccine manufacturer, Pfizer, in a less transparent way.

In the so-called couch-gate, she briefly clashed with Charles Michel during a visit by Turkish President Erdogan. He immediately sat in a chair next to the Turkish president, while von der Leyen had to sit on a lower sofa, slightly away from the hostess. “Sexism” was the immediate verdict of many observers.