Historical Figure
Ursula von der Leyen
b. 1958
President of the European Commission since 2019
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Biography
Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen is a German politician and physician who has served as President of the European Commission since 2019. She served in the German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding positions in Angela Merkel's cabinet, most recently as Federal Minister for Defence. She is a member of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its affiliated European political party, the European People's Party (EPP). On 7 March 2024, the EPP elected her as its Spitzenkandidat to lead the campaign for the 2024 European Parliament elections. She was re-elected to head the Commission in July 2024.
In Their Own Words (5)
It is the moment to show them that we can build a continent where you can be who you are, love who you want, and aim as high as you want.
State of the European Union: Five takeaways from Ursula von der Leyen's speech euro news (September 13, 2023). , 2023
And as we do not accept this from the inside, we do not accept this from the outside.
State of the European Union: Five takeaways from Ursula von der Leyen's speech euro news (September 13, 2023). , 2023
Hospitals are postponing treatment because of lack of nurses. And two-thirds of European companies are looking for IT specialists.
State of the European Union: Five takeaways from Ursula von der Leyen's speech euro news (September 13, 2023). , 2023
Four years ago, the European Green Deal was our answer to the call of history. And this summer – the hottest ever on record in Europe – was a stark reminder of that.
State of the European Union: Five takeaways from Ursula von der Leyen's speech euro news (September 13, 2023). , 2023
I was yesterday in Kyiv and I visited Bucha. And there are no words for the horror I have seen in Bucha, the ugly face of Putin's army terrorising people. And I have so much admiration for our brave Ukrainian friends fighting against this. They are fighting our war. It is our fight that they are in. Because it is not only Ukraine fighting for its sovereignty and integrity, but they are also fighting for the question whether humanity will prevail or whether heinous devastation will be the result. It is the question whether democracy will be stronger or if it is autocracy that will dominate. It is the question whether there is the right of might dominating or whether it is the rule of law.
"Opening, interventions and closing remarks by President von der Leyen at the global pledging event ‘Stand Up For Ukraine'" (9 April 2022) , 2022
Timeline
The story of Ursula von der Leyen, told in moments.
Born Ursula Albrecht in Brussels. Her father Ernst was one of the first European civil servants. Raised bilingual in German and French. Grew up in the city that would eventually become her power base.
Earned her medical license from Hanover Medical School. Married fellow physician Heiko von der Leyen. Lived in California for four years in the 1990s while her husband worked at Stanford. Mother of seven children.
Entered Angela Merkel's first cabinet as Minister for Family Affairs. Rose through consecutive ministries: Labor and Social Affairs (2009), then Defence (2013), becoming the first woman to hold that post in Germany.
Elected President of the European Commission. First woman in the role. Navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU's vaccine procurement, and the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Re-elected to head the European Commission. Had overseen the EU's largest-ever sanctions regime against Russia and managed an energy crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.
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