As one of the main institutions of European Union, the European Commission has a number of important functions among which are legislation initiation, management of policies and the annual budget. 

On July 16 2019, an election was held in the European Parliament for the successor of the current President of the Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. With 383 votes, Ursula von der Leyen enters European history as the first woman elected to head the European Commission. 

For the next term, President-elect Von der Leyen has planned an ambitious programme with a strong focus on climate, gender and economic strengthening. For instance, she supports the objective of reducing carbon emissions by 50% in 2030, or even by 55%.