European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, 2020 World Leader for Peace and Security Award recipient, received the International Charlemagne Prize, an annual award for contributions to European unity, on Thursday as the 27-nation bloc confronts Russia’s war against Ukraine and security issues across the continent.
The European Union’s most high-profile political figure, von der Leyen was called “the embodiment of the European spirit” by King Felipe VI of Spain during Thursday’s ceremony in Aachen, Germany.
Last year, European Parliament lawmakers reelected her to a second five-year term as president of the EU’s powerful executive arm.
The commission proposes legislation for the EU’s 27 member countries — and its 450 million people — and ensures that the rules governing the world’s biggest trading bloc are respected. It’s made up of a College of Commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy.
