Ursula von der Leyen

Ursula von der Leyen
Born	Ursula Gertrud Albrecht 8 10, 1958
Birthplace	Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium
Occupation	Politician, physician
Title	President of the European Commission
Known for	President of the European Commission
Education	Hannover Medical School (MD, MPH) London School of Economics University of Göttingen
Children	7
Awards	Forbes Most Powerful Woman in the World (2022, 2023, 2024, 2025)
Website	[[ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024/president_en ec.europa.eu/commission/commissioners/2019-2024/president_en] Official site]

Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen (Template:IPA-de; née Albrecht; born 8 October 1958) is a German politician and physician who has served as President of the European Commission since 1 December 2019, making her the first woman to hold the office. Born in Brussels to a family steeped in European politics — her father, Ernst Albrecht, was among the first European civil servants — von der Leyen grew up bilingual in German and French before moving to Germany in 1971. She studied at the University of Göttingen, the London School of Economics, and Hannover Medical School, where she earned her medical licence in 1987. After years in local and state politics in Lower Saxony, she rose to national prominence as a member of Angela Merkel's federal cabinet, serving consecutively as Minister for Family Affairs and Youth (2005–2009), Minister for Labour and Social Affairs (2009–2013), and Minister for Defence (2013–2019) — the first woman to hold the defence portfolio in Germany. A member of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the affiliated European People's Party (EPP), she was proposed by the European Council as the candidate for Commission president in July 2019 and elected by the European Parliament shortly thereafter. She was re-elected to head the Commission in July 2024 with an absolute majority of 401 votes. Forbes named her the most powerful woman in the world in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Early Life

Ursula Gertrud Albrecht was born on 8 October 1958 in Ixelles, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. Her father, Ernst Albrecht, was a German politician and civil servant who was among the first officials to work within the European institutions, serving in the early European Commission before entering German domestic politics. Growing up in Brussels, von der Leyen was raised in a bilingual household, speaking both German and French from an early age — a formative experience that would later prove significant in her career within European institutions.

In 1971, when von der Leyen was twelve years old, her family relocated to Germany after her father became increasingly involved in German politics. Ernst Albrecht went on to serve as Minister President of Lower Saxony from 1976 to 1990, giving his daughter an early and intimate exposure to political life at the state level. The family settled in Lower Saxony, where von der Leyen spent her adolescent years.

Von der Leyen's upbringing in a political household, combined with her early years in the heart of European governance in Brussels, shaped her dual identity as both a German political figure and a committed European integrationist. Her multilingual background — she speaks German, French, and English fluently — distinguished her among German politicians and facilitated her later work in international and European settings.

Education

Von der Leyen's academic career spanned multiple disciplines and institutions in several countries. She initially studied economics at the University of Göttingen before spending a period at the London School of Economics (LSE) in London, from which she graduated in 1978.

She subsequently pursued a career in medicine, enrolling at Hannover Medical School (Medizinische Hochschule Hannover), where she acquired her medical licence in 1987. She later also obtained a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from Hannover Medical School. Her diverse educational background — encompassing economics, public health, and clinical medicine — provided a broad foundation for her subsequent political career, particularly in social policy and healthcare-related portfolios.

Career

Early Political Career in Lower Saxony

After marrying fellow physician Heiko von der Leyen, Ursula von der Leyen lived with her family in the United States for four years during the 1990s. Upon returning to Germany, she became involved in local politics in the Hanover region in the late 1990s, beginning her rise through the ranks of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which she had joined in 1990.

Her entry into elected office came in 2003, when she was elected to the Landtag of Lower Saxony, representing the constituency of Lehrte. In the same year, she was appointed Minister for Social Affairs, Women, Families, and Health in the state government of Lower Saxony under Minister President Christian Wulff, serving in that capacity from 4 March 2003 to 22 November 2005. Her work in the state cabinet brought her to the attention of the national CDU leadership and positioned her for a transition to federal politics.

Federal Minister for Family Affairs and Youth (2005–2009)

When Angela Merkel became Chancellor of Germany in November 2005, von der Leyen was appointed Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, a post she held from 22 November 2005 to 30 November 2009. In this role, she pursued an ambitious agenda of family policy reform that drew significant public attention and sometimes controversy within her own party.

Von der Leyen advocated for the expansion of childcare facilities in Germany and introduced the Elterngeld (parental allowance), a policy designed to encourage both parents to take parental leave and to support families with young children. Her proposals were sometimes seen as progressive for the traditionally conservative CDU, and they positioned her as one of the party's most prominent modernizers.

Her tenure as Family Minister also included a contentious effort to combat child pornography on the internet through a system of internet blocking. The proposal, which would have required internet service providers to block access to websites containing child sexual abuse material, generated intense debate in Germany. Critics, including digital rights advocates, argued that the proposed blocking mechanism was technically ineffective and could be used for broader censorship. The issue became a major flashpoint in German digital policy debates. Von der Leyen later acknowledged missteps in the handling of the initiative.

Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs (2009–2013)

Following the 2009 federal election, von der Leyen was appointed Federal Minister for Labour and Social Affairs, serving from 30 November 2009 to 17 December 2013. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing Germany's labour market policies during a period of economic recovery following the global financial crisis. Germany's labour market performed notably well during this period relative to other European countries, with unemployment declining steadily.

Von der Leyen also entered the Bundestag as a member of parliament for Lower Saxony via the CDU party list in October 2009, a seat she held until July 2019.

During this period, she was elected as a Deputy Leader of the CDU on 15 November 2010, a position she held until 22 November 2019. Her elevation to the party's deputy leadership underscored her growing influence within the CDU and her status as one of the most prominent figures in Angela Merkel's political circle.

Federal Minister for Defence (2013–2019)

On 17 December 2013, von der Leyen was appointed Federal Minister for Defence, becoming the first woman in German history to hold the post. She succeeded Thomas de Maizière and served in the role until 17 July 2019, when she departed to assume the presidency of the European Commission. Her appointment was widely noted both domestically and internationally.

Von der Leyen's tenure as Defence Minister coincided with a period of significant geopolitical upheaval in Europe, including the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the broader conflict in eastern Ukraine. She called for stronger NATO support in response to the Ukraine crisis, advocating for a more assertive European security posture. She participated in European commemorations of Armistice Day alongside French President François Hollande in November 2014, in a symbol of Franco-German defence cooperation.

She engaged in broader European defence debates, including discussions around the concept of a collective European Union army, which was promoted by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in 2015. Polish Defence Minister Tomasz Siemoniak also called for a new EU security strategy during this period, reflecting a broader shift in European defence thinking in which von der Leyen was a prominent participant.

Her long tenure as Defence Minister made her one of the most experienced defence officials in the NATO alliance. British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon described her in 2019 as "a star presence" in the NATO community and "the doyenne of NATO ministers for over five years." She was considered a leading contender to succeed Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General of NATO, and was again regarded as a favourite for the role in 2023.

When she left the Defence Ministry in 2019, she was the only minister to have served continuously in Merkel's cabinet since Merkel became chancellor in 2005, spanning all four Merkel governments.

President of the European Commission (2019–present)

First Term (2019–2024)

On 2 July 2019, the European Council proposed von der Leyen as the candidate for President of the European Commission, a decision that surprised many observers as she had not been a Spitzenkandidat (lead candidate) of any European party in the preceding 2019 European Parliament election. On 16 July 2019, the European Parliament elected her to the post, albeit by a narrow margin. She took office on 1 December 2019, succeeding Jean-Claude Juncker and becoming the first woman to lead the European Commission.

Her first term was dominated by a series of overlapping crises. The COVID-19 pandemic, which struck Europe in early 2020, required an unprecedented coordinated response, including the joint procurement of vaccines and the establishment of the EU's recovery fund, NextGenerationEU. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 further defined the direction of the Commission, as von der Leyen led EU efforts to impose sanctions on Russia and provide support to Ukraine.

In November 2022, von der Leyen announced that her Commission would work to establish an International Criminal Tribunal for the Russian Federation in connection with the war in Ukraine.

Re-election and Second Term (2024–present)

On 7 March 2024, the European People's Party elected von der Leyen as its Spitzenkandidat to lead the EPP's campaign for the 2024 European Parliament election. Following the election, she was re-elected as President of the European Commission by the European Parliament on 18 July 2024, receiving an absolute majority of 401 votes.

In her second term, von der Leyen has continued to focus on European competitiveness, transatlantic trade relations, and support for Ukraine. In February 2026, she announced the "One Europe, One Market" strategy, a comprehensive plan aimed at fully integrating the EU's 27 national economies into a single, more competitive market.

Transatlantic trade tensions have featured prominently in her second term. In February 2026, following a U.S. court ruling blocking certain tariffs imposed by the administration of President Donald Trump, the European Commission requested "full clarity" from the United States and called on the U.S. to honour its trade commitments.

Von der Leyen has also pursued trade negotiations with major global partners. In January 2026, she stated that the European Union was "on the verge" of concluding a free trade agreement with India, though she acknowledged that work remained to finalise the deal.

On the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2026, von der Leyen spoke at the Munich Security Conference and oversaw the illumination of European institutions in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, stating: "Four years into Russia's full-scale war, these colours are shining brighter than ever."

Internal management of the Commission has also required attention during the second term. In early February 2026, von der Leyen convened a meeting of her team of European commissioners to address mounting tensions and improve coordination within her top team.

Personal Life

Ursula von der Leyen married Heiko von der Leyen, a physician who later became a professor of medicine and a business executive. The couple have seven children. During the 1990s, the family lived in the United States for four years, during which time Heiko von der Leyen pursued academic work. The family subsequently returned to Germany, settling in the Hanover area of Lower Saxony.

Von der Leyen speaks German, French, and English. Her fluency in French dates to her upbringing in Brussels, and she has used all three languages regularly in her work in European and international settings.

She has been involved in civic organisations in Germany. She served on the board of trustees of the TOTAL E-QUALITY association, which promotes equal opportunity for women and men in business, science, and public administration. She was also listed as a trustee of the Mädchenchor Hannover Foundation, a foundation supporting girls' choral music in Hanover.

Recognition

Von der Leyen has received significant international recognition for her political career. Forbes magazine named her the most powerful woman in the world for four consecutive years: 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

In 2016, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum.

Her prominence in international security affairs has been noted by fellow defence officials. British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon described her in 2019 as "a star presence" in the NATO community and "the doyenne of NATO ministers for over five years," reflecting her extended tenure and influence in European defence circles.

As the first woman to serve as both Germany's Federal Minister for Defence and President of the European Commission, von der Leyen's career has been noted for breaking barriers in traditionally male-dominated roles in European governance and security policy.

Legacy

Von der Leyen's career represents a trajectory from German state politics to the leadership of the European Union's executive body. Her tenure as President of the European Commission has been defined by the management of multiple, simultaneous crises — the COVID-19 pandemic, Russia's war against Ukraine, transatlantic trade disputes, and questions of European competitiveness and strategic autonomy.

Her early advocacy for expanded family policy in Germany, including the introduction of parental allowance schemes and the expansion of childcare, contributed to a shift in CDU social policy. Her appointment as Germany's first female Defence Minister and subsequent election as the first female President of the European Commission marked milestones in the representation of women in European leadership positions.

Her second-term agenda, centred on the "One Europe, One Market" initiative and the pursuit of trade agreements with partners including India, reflects a continued focus on strengthening the EU's position in global economic competition. Her sustained support for Ukraine and leadership on EU sanctions against Russia have defined the Commission's foreign policy orientation during a period of geopolitical confrontation on Europe's eastern border.

As of 2026, von der Leyen continues to serve as President of the European Commission, leading the institution through a period characterised by evolving transatlantic relations, ongoing conflict on Europe's periphery, and efforts to enhance the EU's internal economic integration.