European Interest

Parliament vote on EU Commission appointee von der Leyen

Flickr/EU2017EE Estonian Presidency/CC BY 2.0
Ursula von der Leyen is the first woman to hold the office of German Defence Minister in history.

The German Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen was appointed by European Union leaders to be the next President of the European Commission. However the European Parliament’s approval is needed for the appointment.

The proposal will be discussed and voted on a session of the European Parliament on Wednesday afternoon.

Ursula von der Leyen, who is a physician by profession, is a member of the Christian Democratic Union (cDU). She is the first woman to hold the office of German Defence Minister in history.

Her candidature is firmly opposed by the Socialist Group, which is the second larger political force in the European Parliament.

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