Politics

Ursula von der Leyen: Who is the nominee for European Commission President and what is her stance on Brexit?



German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen has been nominated to become the next President of the European Commission.

Surprise choice Ms von der Leyen is a strong supporter of close EU ties and a close ally of Angela Merkel, whose Cabinet she has served in for the Chancellor’s entire time in power.

European Council President Donald Tusk announced the news Tuesday after hours of talks that exposed deepening divisions among member states.

France’s Christine Lagarde has been proposed for the presidency of the European Central Bank, Belgium’s Charles Michel for European Council president and Spain’s Josep Borrell for EU foreign policy chief.

But what is Ms von der Leyen’s background and what happens following the nominations?

German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen attends a debate on ’70 Years German Constitution’ of the German federal parliament, Bundestag (AP)

Who is Ursula von der Leyen? 

Ms von der Leyen, 60, was born in Brussels and spent her early years in the Belgian capital. 

She speaks fluent English and French, having studied at the London School of Economics in the 1970s and lived in Stanford, California, from 1992 to 1996. 

A medical doctor and mother of seven, she comes from an aristocratic family known as silk merchants and industrialists.

She is the daughter of a former governor of her home state of Lower Saxony, Ernst Albrecht, who before that was a senior European civil servant. 

French President Emmanuel Macron, watches German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, left, French Defense Minister Florence Parly and Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles, right, during a signature ceremony (AP)

What is her background in politics?

Ms von der Leyen is the only minister to serve in Angela Merkel’s Cabinet for her entire tenure as Chancellor, which began in 2005.

As minister for families in Merkel’s first Cabinet from 2005 to 2009, she introduced benefits encouraging fathers to look after their young children.

Ms von der Leyen then served as labour minister until 2013, when she became Germany’s first female defence minister. 

She was long viewed as a potential successor to Merkel, but has had a tough tenure at the head of the notoriously difficult defence ministry and had long since faded out of contention by the time Merkel stepped down last year as leader of her center-right Christian Democratic Union party. 

Still, von der Leyen played a significant role in modernizing the image of her party during the Merkel years, over which it dominated the political middle ground. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel smiles as she talks to the press after the EU leaders struck a deal on the bloc’s top jobs (AFP/Getty Images)

What is her stance on Brexit?

Shortly after Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, Ms von der Leyen said that Brexit offered the bloc an opportunity to press ahead with greater military cooperation. 

She said: “Britain consistently blocked everything that had Europe written on it.” 

Ms von der Leyen argued that closer military ties between member states could help ease the frustration many voters feel about the EU’s inability to tackle major issues.

She also said her aim was a “United States of Europe – on the model of federal states such as Switzerland, Germany or the U.S.” 

She said that Europe could use its “size advantage” on financial, taxation and economic questions.

Ursula von der Leyen is surrounded by German forces Bundeswehr soldiers in Aerzen, Germany (AP)

What happens next?

Ms von der Leyen might have been nominated to become the next head of the European Commission, but her appointment must still be approved by the European Parliament.

The European Commission is the bureaucratic arm of the European Union, with 32,000 employees working to write and enforce EU legislation.

The nominations came after one of the longest summits in recent years, outstripping even all-night negotiations during the Greek debt crisis.

If confirmed, Ms von der Leyen would replace Jean-Claude Juncker, who has held the post since 2014.



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