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Ursula Von Der Leyen elected as President of European Commission

16 July 2019 21:54 (UTC +04:00)

Germany's Ursula von der Leyen has been narrowly elected president of the EU Commission following a secret ballot among MEPs, APA reports citing BBC.

The center-right defense minister will replace Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 November.

She secured the backing of more than half of the members of the European Parliament on Tuesday evening.

The Commission drafts EU laws enforce EU rules and have the power to impose fines on member states if necessary.

Von der Leyen previously vowed to present a decisive green policy within her first 100 days in office, including a 50-55 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030 and a trillion euros' ($1.1 trillion) worth of investment within a decade.

On migration, she has promised to save migrants at sea, is committed to boosting the number of Frontex border guards to 10,000 by 2024, renegotiating asylum rules and to ensuring that all countries of the bloc take in their fair share of migrants.

The politician also said that foreign tech giants should pay more in taxes to EU countries and sought to win over EU lawmakers by offering them the right of legislative initiative.