Ursula von der Leyen: An unexpected enigma

The result was truly surprising to those who had followed the European senior leadership selection process over the past few days, as the most promising candidates were successively eliminated, making way for a name that had never appeared in any previous consideration: Ursula von der Leyen, the German Minister of Defence.

If approved by the European Parliament, Ursula Von der Leyen would become the first female President of the European Commission. Photo: Euro News

"The dying embers burst into light."

Ursula Von der Leyen is no stranger to German politics, having been a veteran member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's government for the past 14 years. Although her father, Ernst Albrech, is a high-ranking European official and former Governor of Lower Saxony, Von der Leyen, now 60 years old, began her political career relatively late.

Born in 1958 in Brussels, Belgium, while her father worked for the European Mission, Von der Leyen studied economics at Gottech University and the University of Münster from 1977 to 1980. However, she later switched to medicine at the Hanover Medical School, graduating in 1987. She held various positions, including physician's assistant at a private clinic, teaching in the Epidemiology Department at the Hanover Medical School, and even a period as a stay-at-home mother, before entering politics by running for the Lower Saxony Parliament in 2003.

Just two years later, she became Minister of Family Affairs in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government, then Minister of Labor from 2009 before becoming Germany's first female Minister of Defence in 2013.

With a strong educational background, fluency in both English and French, and a family tradition in politics, Ursula Von der Leyen's career is considered quite promising. Since 2010, she has also served as Vice President of the Christian Democratic Union and as a close confidante of Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Even for a long time, she was considered a potential candidate to replace Angela Merkel in the future, although she always humbly avoided the topic, saying: "There is only one Chancellor in each generation, and in my generation, it is Angela Merkel."

However, Von der Leyen's time as Minister of Defence was overshadowed by numerous criticisms, significantly impacting her political credibility. Within her first 100 days in office, she faced a series of thorny issues considered "legacies" of her predecessors, such as personnel shortages, flaws in the defense planning process, and the deterioration and inadequacy of military equipment.

A series of scandals related to military equipment subsequently plagued her, including malfunctioning military aircraft, inoperable submarines, and just last week, the Department of Defence faced heavy criticism when two Air Force planes collided during a military exercise in the northeast.

Von der Leyen herself alienated soldiers when she once said that the German army had “problems with its stance” and “weak leadership at many levels.” Her declining popularity meant that Ursula Von der Leyen's name was never considered when Europe fiercely debated who would replace European Commission President Jean Claude Junker; even former Social Democratic Party leader and former European Parliament President Martin Schulz called her Germany's “weakest minister.” But as her domestic image faded and she was no longer mentioned in speculation about Angela Merkel's potential successor, Ursula Von der Leyen unexpectedly shone, becoming “the most powerful woman in Europe,” given that the position of President of the European Commission is considered the most important of the continent's institutions.

Ursula Von der Leyen faced considerable criticism during her time as Germany's Defense Minister. (Photo: Financial Times)

"The cornerstone" of European integration

Many might argue that Ursula Von der Leyen was fortunate to be placed in Europe's most powerful position simply because other candidates lacked the consensus of EU leaders, not because they were incompetent. However, from another perspective, Ursula Von der Leyen was a reassuring choice for Europe amidst the turmoil of Britain's departure, as she is a passionate supporter of European integration.

She once shared her vision for a more integrated model for Europe, namely the "United States of Europe"—a federal model similar to that of the US, Germany, or Switzerland. She argued that Europe could utilize its "scale advantage" to address financial, tax, and economic issues. As Defence Minister, she implemented numerous programs to promote European cooperation in the military field. Upon the UK's decision to leave the European Union, she declared it an opportunity for Europe to strengthen military cooperation, as the UK had previously been an obstacle to common plans.

Two weeks ago, in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron at the world's largest airshow, the Paris Airshow, she participated in signing an agreement to launch a trilateral cooperation between Germany, France, and Spain to design the next-generation fighter jet – Europe's largest weapons development project to date. Some sources also revealed that, amidst intense disagreements between France and Germany over the selection of high-level European personnel, it was President Emmanuel Macron who proactively proposed Ursula Von der Leyen as President of the European Commission after meeting her at the signing ceremony. Many believe that Ursula Von der Leyen will promote an initiative that clearly demonstrates a greater level of European integration in defense, namely a common European Army.

Ursula Von der Leyen is expected to strongly promote the European Common Army initiative. Photo: Daily Express

In international relations, she advocates for multilateral diplomacy. Therefore, regarding the most important issue facing the EU in the coming period – Brexit – Ursula Von der Leyen holds a relatively different view: strengthening UK-EU relations after Brexit, rather than seeking to "punish" the UK as many within Europe suggest. Appearing on a German television channel in April, she actively urged the EU to maintain negotiations to prevent a no-deal Brexit at all costs. To achieve this, she argued that the EU needs to listen more to the UK's aspirations, and that the EU will strengthen cooperation with the UK based on shared values.

Considered an "unknown quantity" in the race for the European Commission presidency, Ursula Von der Leyen is now awaiting confirmation from the European Parliament. Europe will not expect a "breath of fresh air" as Ursula Von der Leyen is seen as a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But it is precisely this steadfastness, sometimes bordering on conservatism, that is "Merkel's style" that Europe needs amidst the current turmoil, to balance the rising populist and far-right forces in Europe.