EU lawmakers narrowly approve von der Leyen as new EU chief

02:05, July 17, 2019

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  New EU chief nominee hopes Britain will ditch Brexit

  EU president-elect Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday she hopes Britain will abandon Brexit and warned London that it must take responsiblity for "sorting out" its tortured departure from the bloc.File photo: VCGVon der Leyen said the divorce deal agreed with Prime Minister Theresa May but rejected by British lawmakers was a good one, signalling that under her leadership the

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  Von der Leyen becomes first female EU executive chief with narrow win

  STRASBOURG, France, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Germanys Ursula von der Leyen was elected to be the next president of the European Commission on Tuesday with a slim majority.File photo: VCGShe made history as the first female chief executive of the European Union. The slim majority also helped avert a political crisis for the worlds largest trading bloc.The European Parliament currently comprises 747 lawmakers, so the threshold needed to be elected was 374 votes, more than half of its component members.Of the 733 votes casted by members of the European Parliament on Tuesday evening, she won 383 votes, only 9 votes more than the necessary 374-vote majority. Had her nomination - without objection from any of the 28 EU member state governments - been shot down, Brussels would be deep in uncharted political waters.Instead, the mother-of-seven and Germanys first female defense minister - who said ahead the vote she would resign her office - thanked lawmakers with a smile and said "The task ahead of us humbles me. Its a big responsibility and my work starts now."Her election was preceded by good news on Tuesday as a barrage of politicians, including senior EU lawmakers, threw their support behind her in Strasbourg. But the vote in the seat of the EU legislature was a secret ballot, potentially enabling lawmakers to break from official lines.Von der Leyen was born and grew up in Brussels, Belgium, where her father once served as a senior officer in the EU. She will, upon taking office in November, oversee the EUs executive branch of around 32,000 staff in her birth place and represent the 500-million strong economy in the world.A trained gynaecologist, she was fluent in English, French and German and she made a point of that by speaking the three languages in one speech on Tuesday morning to EU lawmakers, in a last bid to win their support.GENDER EQUALITYVon der Leyens election marks a milestone for women in EU politics, and she promis...

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  Von der Leyen 'ready' to back Brexit delay if needed

  European Commission president nominee Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday she would support delaying Britains exit from the EU beyond an October 31 deadline if necessary.(File photo: VCG)Even if the German defence ministers Brussels appointment is confirmed later Tuesday, she would not take office until November 1, after the Brexit cut-off, but her view may carry weight."I stand ready for further extension of the withdrawal date should more time be required for a good reason," von der Leyen told a European Parliament ahead of a vote on her candidacy.Von der Leyens remarks triggered howls of derision from pro-Brexit members of the European Parliament, as said sought to tackle key areas of uncertainty caused by Britains shock June 2016 vote to leave the bloc.She stressed, for example, the importance of preserving the rights of citizens on both sides of the divide and maintaining peace on the island of Ireland: "These two priorities are mine too."