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An academic choice?

Image: Etienne Ansotte, European Commission

Ursula von der Leyen’s views are cryptic and her vision vague, but she might prove friendly to academia.

Ursula von der Leyen is an elusive politician, unpopular at home and without an obvious political vision. However, she may well turn out to be an effective president of the European Commission, with an affinity for science and research.

The clues are in von der Leyen’s upbringing and biography. In 2015, when she was at the height of her career, journalists were busy trying to make sense of her. At the time, she was seen as the most likely successor to Angela Merkel as chancellor of Germany, an ambition that von der Leyen (pictured above left, with current Commission President Jean Claude Juncker) never publicly denied.

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