Ursula von der Leyen
Germany
Christian Democratic Union
President of the European Commission
government
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.
Standing...
Stories...
Aug 17, 2026
Center
The EU's internal tensions over migration, triggered by the Ceuta crisis and Italy's border restrictions, are testing the bloc's core principles.
Moderates see von der Leyen's challenge as balancing border enforcement with the EU's open-border identity, a divide that mirrors US immigration debates.
Aug 9, 2026
Center
As Commission president, she faces the fall-out of the Ceuta migration dispute and must coordinate an EU response with Ireland in the presidency chair.
Renaissance expects her to enforce European migration rules while preserving Schengen free movement and internal solidarity.
Aug 6, 2026
Lean Left
The European Commission president announced that 1.4 billion euros in profits from frozen Russian assets will be spent on supporting Ukraine.
Moderates see this as Europe entrenching financial warfare against Moscow, which reinforces the sanctions architecture that also boxes in Iran.
Aug 6, 2026
Far Left
Her Commission is secretly trying to pass a Europol agreement extending criminal data exchanges with Israel, including occupied territories.
LFI accuses her of breaking EU law and making the Union an accomplice to Israel's genocide.
Aug 5, 2026
Far Left
Statewatch reveals her Commission is trying to illegally extend Europol criminal data exchanges with Israel, including in occupied Palestinian territories.
LFI denounces von der Leyen as complicit in genocide, attempting to bypass EU law while Israeli strikes continue to kill in Gaza.
Aug 2, 2026
Lean Right
The Commission president is one of the addressees of a letter from 22 EU states demanding an emergency videoconference on Ceuta.
LR wants her to shift from humanitarian language to binding external border enforcement, otherwise the EU's response will remain rhetorical.
Jul 25, 2026
Lean Left
Von der Leyen’s EU gets a boost from Trump’s new tariffs, which are structured to benefit EU economies unlike the UK's (article 8).
Labour uses this to argue that the EU is a stronger trading partner than the UK's current position, reinforcing the case for closer ties with Europe.
Jul 23, 2026
Far Right
EU Commission President dined with Macron amid ongoing tensions over energy and migration policy.
RN criticizes her for pushing open borders and green regulations that hurt French farmers and industry.
Jul 22, 2026
Lean Right
The European Commission President's approach to China is highlighted in analysis of Europe's growing anxiety about Beijing's challenge to global order.
Market liberals applaud von der Leyen's efforts to de-risk from China and protect economic security, but caution against overregulation that stifles trade.
Jul 16, 2026
Lean Left
The European Commission President visited Ukraine and announced new steps to integrate EU and Ukrainian defence industries.
Labour strongly supports EU-Ukraine defence cooperation as vital for countering Russian aggression, though it frustrates some pro-Brexit voters.