Ursula von der Leyen

The most powerful EU official, von der Leyen has steered Europe's response to the Ukraine war, the AI Act, and European rearmament. Her second term (from 2024) is defined by the challenge of maintaining European strategic autonomy in a world where US reliability is in question.

Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen was born on October 8, 1958, in Brussels. A doctor by training, she entered German politics with the CDU, serving as Germany's Defence Minister (2013–2019) — a tenure criticised for military underfunding. Her unexpected nomination as European Commission President in 2019 was a last-minute compromise. She was reappointed for a second term in 2024.