Ursula von der Leyen (born 8 October 1958) is a German politician who serves as President of the European Commission. She was nominated for the presidency by the European Council on 2 July 2019 and, after a narrow vote, was elected by the European Parliament on 16 July 2019, becoming the first woman to hold that office. Her Commission has promoted priorities such as the European Green Deal, digital transition and coordinated pandemic response.
Von der Leyen comes from a politically active family: her father was the German politician Ernst Albrecht. She was born in Brussels and trained in medicine before moving into public life. A member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), she combined a professional background outside politics with rapid advancement within her party and government. She is also widely noted for balancing a demanding public career with family life.
At the national level she held several senior cabinet posts in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s governments. She served as Federal Minister for Family Affairs and Youth (Family Affairs) from 2005 to 2009, then as Federal Minister of Labour and Social Affairs from 2009 to 2013, and from 2013 until 2019 she was Germany’s Federal Minister of Defence (Defence). Von der Leyen was the only minister continuously present in Merkel’s cabinet from 2005 until 2019, a fact often highlighted when describing her political experience in government administration and coalition politics.
As President of the European Commission, von der Leyen set out an agenda that stresses climate action, a digital single market, stronger health cooperation among member states and greater strategic autonomy for the European Union. Her tenure has included large-scale initiatives such as the European Green Deal and the post‑pandemic recovery instrument. At the same time she has faced scrutiny and political debate over the EU’s vaccine procurement strategy during the COVID-19 pandemic and other procurement and defence-related decisions, illustrating the challenges of coordinating policy across 27 member states.
Key roles and significance
- President of the European Commission — nominated by the European Council and elected by the European Parliament, leading the EU executive branch and policy agenda (European Commission).
- Federal Minister of Defence — oversaw Germany’s armed forces and procurement policy (Defence).
- Federal Minister for Family Affairs and Youth — early cabinet role focused on social and family policy (Family Affairs).
- Long-serving CDU politician — part of the Christian Democratic Union leadership and inner government circles (CDU).
Von der Leyen’s career is notable for its cross-disciplinary origin—moving from medicine into high-level politics—and for breaking gender barriers at the European level. Her leadership continues to shape debates over the EU’s direction on climate, technology, health coordination and its role on the global stage, while also prompting discussion about institutional reform and democratic accountability within European governance structures.