Position
President of the European Commission
Biography
Ursula von der Leyen, born in 1958, is a proud European and a mother of seven. A medical doctor by training, she has dedicated the last 20 years of her life to public service. She first became involved in politics at local and regional level. From 2005 to 2019, she was federal minister in charge of family and youth, then labour, and defence in her home country Germany. She took the helm of the European Commission in 2019 where she steered the EU’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the energy crisis. In July 2024, she was elected for a second term as President of the European Commission. In this second mandate, she is working for a more competitive and independent Europe that defends democracy, protects its people, and takes more responsibility for its defence and security in a changing world.
Featured in:
#EUSocialForum 2026: Opening speech
#EUSocialForum 2022: Welcome