The President is the head of the European Commission. According to the treaties, the President decides on the organisation of the Commission and allocates portfolios to individual Commissioners. The President also sets the Commission’s policy agenda.
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The President represents the Commission in European Council meetings, G7 and G20 summits, summits with non-EU countries and major debates in the European Parliament and the Council.
President von der Leyen was appointed by national leaders and elected by the European Parliament after she presented her Political Guidelines.
These guidelines were inspired by her discussions with the parliament’s political groups, as well as by the European Council’s strategic agenda for 2019-2024. They set the work of the European institutions around six headline ambitions for Europe for this period:
Europe aims to be the first climate-neutral continent by becoming a modern, resource-efficient economy.
A Europe fit for the digital age
The EU’s digital strategy will empower people with a new generation of technologies.
An economy that works for people
The EU must create a more attractive investment environment, and growth that creates quality jobs, especially for young people and small businesses.
A stronger Europe in the world
The EU will strengthen its voice in the world by championing multilateralism and a rules-based global order.
Promoting our European way of life
Europe must protect the rule of law if it is to stand up for justice and the EU’s core values.
A new push for European democracy
We need to give Europeans a bigger say and protect our democracy from external interference such as disinformation and online hate messages.
