European Parliament approves Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission

Tags: Person in news International News

The European Parliament has approved Ursula von der Leyen's bid for a second five-year term as President of the European Commission.

An Overview of the News

• Von der Leyen received 401 votes in the 720-seat chamber, surpassing the majority required to maintain her position.

• In the secret ballot, 284 members voted against her.

• Von der Leyen addressed the European Parliament, outlining her priorities for the next five years.

• She committed to continuing the European Green Deal, aiming to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050.

• She pledged to reduce emissions by 90 percent by 2040.

• Substantial investments in infrastructure and industry, particularly in energy-intensive sectors, were announced.

• Von der Leyen also pledged to continue supporting Ukraine.

About Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen

• Leyen, born 8 October 1958, is a German politician.

• She has been the 13th president of the European Commission since 2019.

• Served in Angela Merkel's cabinet from 2005 to 2019, most recently as federal minister of defence.

• Member of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the European People's Party (EPP).

• Elected as EPP's Spitzenkandidat for the 2024 European Parliament elections on 7 March 2024.

• Re-elected to head the Commission in July 2024.