Becoming Madam Europe: Ursula Von Der Leyen and the Pursuit of a Union of Equality

Joyce Marie Mushaben assesses the extraordinary political career and policy legacy of Ursula von der Leyen. A medical doctor and mother of seven children, von der Leyen entered national politics at age forty-two. Consistently opposed by hardliners within her own party, the CDU, she mastered three ministerial portfolios across four Merkel governments, enabling her to transform Germany's obsolete gender regime and its historically anti-militarist 'strategic culture.' As the first female President of the EU Commission in 2019, she pursued a 'Union of Equality,' extending women's and gender rights in new domains. Forced to tackle the Covid pandemic, climate change and Russia's war against Ukraine, she met each crisis with dignity and calm. She strengthened the EU's identity as a 'value community' and redefined its role as a 'geopolitical' global actor. This is the first book to analyse von der Leyen's achievements in the context of an era of global crisis.