Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 3 July 2019
Von der Leyen: pro-EU fixture in Merkel's Cabinets

BERLIN (AP) — Ursula German military spending,
von der Leyen, a surprise though it still falls well short
choice to become the of the 2% of gross domes-
next head of the European tic product that the United
Commission, is a strong sup- States wants to see from its
porter of closer European NATO partners. Members of
cooperation who has been the alliance agreed in 2014
Germany's defense minister to "aim to move toward"
since 2013 and a fixture in increasing defense spend-
Chancellor Angela Merkel's ing to 2% of GDP by 2024,
Cabinet over the longtime though Germany has said
leader's nearly 14 years in it doesn't expect to meet
power. that goal.
Von der Leyen, 60, was Merkel said Tuesday that
born in Brussels and spent von der Leyen "enjoys great
her early years in the Bel- confidence" among Euro-
gian capital. She speaks pean leaders, pointing to
fluent English and French, her involvement in a NATO
having studied at the Lon- force in the Aegean Sea
don School of Economics in during the migrant influx,
the 1970s and lived in Stan- Germany's help in patrol-
ford, California, from 1992 In this Aug. 2, 2017 file photo German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen arrives for the cabinet ling the airspace of Baltic
to 1996. meeting of the German government at the chancellery in Berlin. countries and her commit-
She was long viewed as Associated Press ment to Europe.
a potential successor to Von der Leyen comes from
Merkel, but has had a tough nificant role in modernizing as labor minister until 2013, she said shortly after taking a political family and is the
tenure at the head of the the image of her party dur- when she became Ger- over the defense ministry. daughter of a former gov-
notoriously difficult defense ing the Merkel years, over many's first female defense She followed that up by de- ernor of her home state of
ministry and had long since which it dominated the minister. In that job, she claring that "it's important Lower Saxony, Ernst Albre-
faded out of contention by political middle ground. championed greater Euro- that Germany takes more cht, who before that was
the time Merkel stepped As minister for families in pean cooperation. responsibility within our al- a senior European civil ser-
down last year as leader Merkel's first Cabinet from "Europe won't get ahead in liances — within the Euro- vant. She has been a dep-
of her center-right Christian 2005 to 2009, she intro- the game of global powers pean alliance and within uty leader of Merkel's CDU
Democratic Union party. duced benefits encour- if some discreetly hold back NATO." since 2010. Over the years,
Still, von der Leyen — a aging fathers to look after when military deployments Shortly after Britain voted to she was often talked about
medical doctor and moth- their young children. come up and others rush leave the European Union as a potential successor to
er of seven — played a sig- Von der Leyen then served ahead without consulting," in 2016, she said that Brexit Merkel, though she herself
offered the bloc an oppor- publicly dismissed such talk.
tunity to press ahead with "In every generation, there
greater military coopera- is one chancellor," she said
tion. in 2013. "In my generation,
"Britain consistently blocked that is Angela Merkel."
everything that had Europe In her time as defense min-
written on it," von der Leyen ister, von der Leyen faded
said. She argued that closer out of speculation about
military ties between mem- the succession. Inheriting
ber states could help ease a military in the midst of a
the frustration many voters massive change from con-
feel about the EU's inability scription to a professional
to tackle major issues. force, she increasingly
In a defense policy review had to deal with negative
issued at the same time, headlines of her own and
the government said citi- others' making.
zens of other EU countries Merkel's junior coalition
could be allowed to serve partners in Berlin, the cen-
in the German army. ter-left Social Democrats,
In an interview with news weren't impressed with
magazine Der Spiegel in the nomination of von der
2011, as the eurozone debt Leyen or the overall pack-
crisis rumbled, von der Ley- age put together Tuesday
en declared a loftier goal by EU leaders. Merkel said
for Europe. "My aim is the she abstained in EU lead-
United States of Europe — ers' otherwise-unanimous
on the model of federal nomination of von der Ley-
states such as Switzerland, en because of the lack of
Germany or the U.S." She unity at home.
said that Europe could use A former Social Democrat
its "size advantage" on fi- leader, ex-European Par-
nancial, taxation and eco- liament president Martin
nomic questions. Schulz, tweeted that she
Von der Leyen has presid- "is the weakest minister
ed recently over increased here."q