Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected for a second term as head of the European Commission, the European Union’s (EU) executive body.
For the next five years, von der Leyen pledged to create a continental “defence union” and stay the course on Europe’s green transition.
Appealing to the EU before her election, von der Leyen spoke out against “the extreme polarisation of our societies”, and her climate policies include a legally binding EU target to cut emissions by 90 per cent by 2040, compared to 1990 levels.
“The next five years will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades,” Ms von der Leyen said ahead of the vote.
“It will decide whether we shape our own future or let it be shaped by events or by others.”
Who is Ursula von der Leyen?
As the EU’s first ever female leader when she was first elected in 2019, von der Leyen has been consistently cited as the “world’s most powerful woman”.
Formerly, she was the German defence minister before leading the European Commission, the body that drafts and proposes new EU policies and laws.
As its President Von der Leyen led Europe through the COVID-19 pandemic and the fall-out from the invasion of Ukraine — two of the biggest crises in Europe since the end of World War II.
At the start of her leadership, she made fighting climate change her core priority, and this has seen the EU adopt the most ambitious package of emissions-cutting policies of any major economy in the world.
Ursula von der Leyen’s political agenda
Along with her long-held climate change agenda, von der Leyen has announced her political aims for her next five years in leadership.
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rages on, von der Leyen pledged to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and said that Europe must invest more in defence. Her pledge for “a true European Defence Union” will include flagship projects on air and cyber defence.
She also outlined changes on migration policy, including a new approach for the return of migrants, as well as plans to triple the number of European border and coast guards.
In her address to the European Parliament on Thursday, von der Leyen said that the ongoing suffering of Palestinian civilians must stop in Gaza.
“I want to be very clear: the bloodshed in Gaza must stop now. Too many children, women and civilians have lost their lives as a result of Israel’s response to Hamas’ brutal terror,” she said.
“The people of Gaza cannot bear any more. Humanity cannot bear it anymore.”