European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen embarked on her eighth trip to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ahead of winter, she presented a proposal for the EU’s share of a G7 loan, as well as fresh money for the country’s energy security.
The German conservative Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday was re-elected by Members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. She will lead the Commission for another five-year term after having been at the helm of the EU since 2019 as the first female executive ever.
The European Parliament is currently scheduled to vote on the appointment of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for a second term on July 18. At a summit in Brussels last week, EU leaders reached a final agreement on the three top EU posts – but negotiations ran into opposition from Italy and Hungary.
Following last week’s informal summit, EU leaders are back at the negotiating table to decide who will take over three key EU positions after the European elections.
In an interview with the European Newsroom on Wednesday, the lead candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) found stern words for Commission President von der Leyen’s European People’s Party (EPP) and stressed the importance of showing voters an alternative to the far right.