She made history when she was elected the first female president of the European Commission. Now she wants a rerun. Ursula von der Leyen has been tipped to run the most powerful institution in the European Union for a second time.
Last month, the 27 leaders the 65-year-old German as the nominee to preside over the European Commission for the next five years. After weathering back-to-back crises that forever transformed the union, von der Leyen seems eager to take on the task of guiding the bloc through an uncertain, volatile future. Her nomination, though, faces an uphill battle in the European Parliament, which needs to confirm her by at least 361 votes.
As she haggles with the main parties to gather the necessary endorsements, Euronews looks back at the 11 moments that defined her presidency. Ursula von der Leyen seemingly came out of the blue. The Brussels-born mother of seven was an unknown figure in the city when leaders got together in July 2019 and, under the strong influence of French President Emmanuel Macron, chose her to oversee the executive.
Von der Leyen, who was then serving as defence minister in Germany, had not featured in the top jobs conversation at all so her elevation came as an absolute surprise. The European Parliament reacted furiously to the summary execution of the system and almost voted her down: von der Leyen received 383 votes in favour, just nine above the minimum threshold. "There is only one option for me: to unite and strengthen Europe," she.
