EU leaders nominate Germany's von der Leyen for Commission head - Merkel

[webfact]

EU leaders nominate Germany's von der Leyen for Commission head - Merkel

 

FILE PHOTO: German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen attends a news conference at the "Zenon" Coordination Center in Larnaca, Cyprus October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

 

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European Union leaders nominated German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday to head up the European Commission as part of a proposal over who should run the EU's top institutions, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

 

"For the position of Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen was nominated unanimously with one abstention," Merkel told reporters in Brussels after tortuous marathon talks.

 

"This abstention came, in line with the rules of German voting conduct, from me," she added. "We agreed this in the coalition: that if there is no unanimity, then one abstains. But one can say this (nomination) has been approved today without any opposition."

 

(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Gareth Jones)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-03

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[nauseus]

Hmmm......from nowhere after all the bartering? Well educated but recent political track record not so good.

 

Best of luck. 

[geoffbezoz]

At least she has got fair hair and blue eyes so that's a good sign ????

[JonnyF]

Has to be an improvement on Juncker.

[Srikcir]

2 hours ago, nauseus said:

Hmmm......from nowhere after all the bartering? Well educated but recent political track record not so good.

 

Best of luck. 

• Speaks English and French fluently.
• Once briefly treated as a potential successor to Merkel.
• Father Ernst Albrecht become state premier in Lower Saxony, was a high-level official at the EEC and EC.
• Held the post of family minister between 2005 and 2009, followed by health minister and defense minister.

https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-ursula-von-der-leyen-the-surprise-compromise-as-european-commission-president/a-49447961

She's not a "hardcore politician" and maybe that's good for leading the European Commission.

[Caldera]

A failed secretary of defense got nominated to become a failed leader of the EU. Great.

 

I can see Merkel's dilemma though. This lady is a friend of hers, and while she desperately needs to get rid of her lest she can do even more damage to Germany's armed forces, it has to be done with dignity. This move, if it happens, offers a solution.

[welovesundaysatspace]

Think it’s a bad choice. Didn’t run the German Ministry of Defense well. 

[dutchdude]

4 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Has to be an improvement on Juncker.

anyone

would be an improvement on Juncker

[Letseng]

2 hours ago, Srikcir said:

• Speaks English and French fluently.
• Once briefly treated as a potential successor to Merkel.
• Father Ernst Albrecht become state premier in Lower Saxony, was a high-level official at the EEC and EC.
• Held the post of family minister between 2005 and 2009, followed by health minister and defense minister.

https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-ursula-von-der-leyen-the-surprise-compromise-as-european-commission-president/a-49447961

She's not a "hardcore politician" and maybe that's good for leading the European Commission.

She is good in doing nothing. Look at her track record of her recent posts. God help the EU. Macron will now get his way.

[tomacht8]

27 minutes ago, Letseng said:

She is good in doing nothing. Look at her track record of her recent posts. God help the EU. Macron will now get his way.

She has raised 7 children, has a PhD in medicine and has held high offices in government. After all, she was not so lazy in her life.

[luckyluke]

5 minutes ago, tomacht8 said:

After all, she was not so lazy in her life.

Yes, but she is European/German,

already enough for some to criticise her, if not hating her. 

[dick dasterdly]

And they've also accepted Christine Legarde as the head of the ECB....

 

And yet we're supposed to accept their decisions ?????

 

Yes, I know - different topic - but the same people are agreeing to these 'top posts'!

[luckyluke]

And Mr. Charles Michel, actual Belgian Prime Minister, will replace Mr. Donald Tusk. 

[nauseus]

36 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

And Mr. Charles Michel, actual Belgian Prime Minister, will replace Mr. Donald Tusk. 

Wonderful.

[Pilotman]

6 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Has to be an improvement on Juncker.

My cat would be that. 

[Pilotman]

1 hour ago, tomacht8 said:

She has raised 7 children, has a PhD in medicine and has held high offices in government. After all, she was not so lazy in her life.

Goodness, I hate her even more now. 

[luckyluke]

17 minutes ago, nauseus said:

Wonderful

Yes, the second Belgian to occupied this position. 

[Ralf61]

2 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

And yet we're supposed to accept their decisions ?????

We won't get asked for accepting them. They call it "representative democracy".

[StayinThailand2much]

von der Leyen is quite a popular politician in Germany. She was seen as Merkel's possible successor. Merkel's strategic move to 'get rid of her' by sending her off to Brussels, may very well backfire for Germany's Christian Democrats. It may cost them dearly, losing more votes to the Greens and AfD in future elections. Watch out for Belgian- or Italian-style party chaos in years to come...

 

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[Sydebolle]

Good luck to the EU then ........ they will certainly need it for the very bumpy road ahead! 

[wolf81]

On 7/3/2019 at 1:00 PM, tomacht8 said:

She has raised 7 children, has a PhD in medicine and has held high offices in government. After all, she was not so lazy in her life.

Following questions raised by the website VroniPlag Wiki regarding possible plagiarism in her doctoral dissertation, the German Higher Education Commission conducted an investigation that found only three "serious errors", and lesser errors in 20% of the work. Christopher Baum, the president of the Hanover Medical School, said: "In the central part of the dissertation, no shortcomings were found. [...] The results of the dissertation were scientifically new, valid and of practical relevance." In particular, there was "no misconduct directed by the intention to deceive".^[19] As the VroniPlag wiki shows, 43.5% of the thesis pages contained plagiarism, and in 23 cases citations were used to sources that did not contain the claimed content.^[20][21] The independence of the investigating commission was questioned as von der Leyen personally knew its director from joint work for an alumni association.^[22]

 

...

 

After the Federal Court of Auditors complained that rules of government procurement had been ignored when giving external consultancies in the ministry from 2015 to 2016 and it turned out documents were destroyed to cover this up, a parliamentary investigative commission was installed in 2019.^[75][76]

 

She seems corrupt, so in that aspect would be an excellent candidate for a top position in the EU.

[Baerboxer]

On 7/3/2019 at 9:38 AM, Srikcir said:

• Speaks English and French fluently.
• Once briefly treated as a potential successor to Merkel.
• Father Ernst Albrecht become state premier in Lower Saxony, was a high-level official at the EEC and EC.
• Held the post of family minister between 2005 and 2009, followed by health minister and defense minister.

https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-ursula-von-der-leyen-the-surprise-compromise-as-european-commission-president/a-49447961

She's not a "hardcore politician" and maybe that's good for leading the European Commission.

 

She was reported on German media as saying she was glad Britain had voted to leave the EU and would be pleased when they'd gone as they'd been blocking her vision of a EU Army - run by Germany of course!

 

She a federalist from a wealthy political family.

 

Just the ticket eh?

[Baerboxer]

4 hours ago, wolf81 said:

Following questions raised by the website VroniPlag Wiki regarding possible plagiarism in her doctoral dissertation, the German Higher Education Commission conducted an investigation that found only three "serious errors", and lesser errors in 20% of the work. Christopher Baum, the president of the Hanover Medical School, said: "In the central part of the dissertation, no shortcomings were found. [...] The results of the dissertation were scientifically new, valid and of practical relevance." In particular, there was "no misconduct directed by the intention to deceive".^[19] As the VroniPlag wiki shows, 43.5% of the thesis pages contained plagiarism, and in 23 cases citations were used to sources that did not contain the claimed content.^[20][21] The independence of the investigating commission was questioned as von der Leyen personally knew its director from joint work for an alumni association.^[22]

 

...

 

After the Federal Court of Auditors complained that rules of government procurement had been ignored when giving external consultancies in the ministry from 2015 to 2016 and it turned out documents were destroyed to cover this up, a parliamentary investigative commission was installed in 2019.^[75][76]

 

She seems corrupt, so in that aspect would be an excellent candidate for a top position in the EU.

 

Not the only German politician with dodgy PhD.

 

She's from a wealthy German politically connected family, advocates a EU army and is a federal EUist.

 

Corrupt - par for the course.