THE announcement of Ursula von der Leyen as the EU Commission's new leader came as a surprise to many.
Here's what we know about Germany's ultra-federalist defence minister, who once called for the "United States of Europe".
Who is Ursula von der Leyen?
The Brussels-born politician has held the position of Minister of Defence in Angela Merkel's cabinet since 2013 – the first woman in German history to hold the office.
A loyal member of the Christian Democrat party, she is known as a conservative Europhile.
Von der Leyen, 60, was born on October 8, 1958, and moved to Germany with her family at the age of 13.
She went on to study economics at Göttingen and Münster universities, spending a semester at LSE in London.
Von der Leyen and medicine in Hanover before going into politics.
The veteran politician is a descendant of Baron Ludwig Knoop, a cotton merchant from Bremen.
Her husband is Heiko von der Leyen, a medicine professor and the CEO of a medical engineering company.
They have seven children, born between 1987 and 1999.
The family are Lutheran members of the Evangelical Church of Germany.
When was she elected leader of the EU Commission?
Von der Leyen was nominated for the top job on July 2, 2019.
If the appointment is ratified, she will be the first woman ever to take on that role from Jean-Claude Juncker on November 1.
She has been a staunch supporter of the German government’s position in the Brexit negotiations, including “no renegotiation” of the backstop.
The choice came as a surprise to many after a number of the main front-runners were rejected.
She is one of five new appointments elected by EU leaders for the top jobs.
Though controversial, EU leaders have backed their choice.
French President Emmanuel Macron said the nominations were "the fruit of a deep Franco-German entente".
"Von der Leyen is a very good candidate and a very good choice to head the European Commission," he told reporters.
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