On Tuesday, von der Leyen (CDU) announced that she wants to resign from her ministerial position regardless of the outcome of the vote in the EU Parliament. pic.twitter.com/axEvKXg0oG — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) July 15, 2019Chancellor Angela Merkel welcomed the step, saying that Von der Leyen had decided on a "new stage in her life". Von der Leyen and Merkel greet each other at the CDU Party Day in Hamburg on December 7th, 2018. Von der Leyen faces strong opposition from Social Democrats, Greens and other leftist politicians -- especially SPD politicians from her own country. Von der Leyen visiting Bundeswehr troops in Mali in 2014.

Source: The Local July 16, 2019 09:06 UTC