
Ursula von der Leyen wields exceptional power as President of the European Commission because she controls the EU's executive branch, shapes energy and foreign policy for 450 million people, and maintains an influence score of 74/100 across tracked geopolitical activity.
Her position gives her direct authority over continental responses to major crises.
Von der Leyen sets the EU's agenda on its most urgent challenges. Recent signals track her leadership on energy independence: the EU committed to eliminate Russian gas imports by 2028 under her direction, a transformative policy affecting Europe's entire energy sector and geopolitical alignment with Western allies.
Her office generates sustained geopolitical impact across 100 tracked events, from humanitarian concerns like attacks on civilian shipping in the Black Sea to household economic support. As the highest ranking executive in the EU system, she operates without significant institutional checks on strategic direction setting, making her the de facto chief executive of the European bloc.