Ursula von der Leyen nominated to lead EU Commission

EU leaders have put forward their nominations for the bloc’s top jobs, with a woman for the first time proposed as European Commission chief.

The surprise choice of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker came after the main front-runners were rejected.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde has been nominated as the first woman to head the European Central Bank (ECB).

The announcement follows days of difficult negotiations.

In all, EU leaders were tasked with nominating five people for the top jobs.

Belgian liberal Prime Minister Charles Michel is nominated to replace European Council President Donald Tusk while Spain’s Josep Borrell is proposed as foreign policy chief.

The fifth key role – president of the European Parliament – is to be chosen on Wednesday. Possible candidates include German centre-right MEP Manfred Weber and Bulgarian socialist Sergei Stanishev.

Most of the roles must be ratified by parliament.

Tusk said that “We have agreed the whole package before the first session of the European Parliament,”

He said Germany had abstained on Ms Von der Leyen’s nomination over coalition issues but pointed out that Chancellor Angela Merkel herself had backed her.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the nominations were “the fruit of a deep Franco-German entente”.

“Von der Leyen is a very good candidate and a very good choice to head the European Commission,” he told reporters, adding that Ms Lagarde’s “capacities and competences… totally qualified her” for the ECB.