European Commission president is praised for work ethic and response to Covid and Ukraine war, but some see her as aloof
For years, Brussels has been needled by the question: “Who do I call if I want to call Europe?” The remark, widely attributed (probably wrongly) to the former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger, epitomises the idea that the EU has many leaders, but no voice on the world stage.
Today many in Brussels think there is someone at the end of the phone line: Ursula von der Leyen, the first female president of the European Commission, recently named by Forbes as the most powerful woman in the world.
