Ms. Lagarde and Ms. von der Leyen, both political conservatives, would be the first women to hold these key positions, probably the two most important jobs at stake. Ms. von der Leyen, 60, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party, is well known and speaks fluent English and French, having spent some of her childhood in Brussels. As defense minister, she has advocated a more active role for Germany in contributing to NATO. [The European Union’s four presidents have many responsibilities, and have to work in a cacophony.] The bloc’s leaders also decided to name Charles Michel, 43, the young acting Belgian prime minister, a liberal, as president of the European Council of heads of state and government; and proposed Josep Borrell, 72, a Spanish former foreign minister, as the new foreign policy chief.

Source: International New York Times July 02, 2019 17:19 UTC