Von der Leyen courts MEPs

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, nominated to be the next president of the European Commission, tried hard on Wednesday to win support from members of the European Parliament who will vote on her confirmation next week.

Von der Leyen must win an absolute majority from the MEPs in order to replace outgoing Jean-Claude Juncker. In the current parliament of only 748 members, she will only need to secure 375 votes.

The 60-year-old von der Leyen, who belongs to the European People's Party, or EPP, the largest political group in the parliament, was bombarded with questions about climate change, Brexit, rule of law and reform of EU's institutional structures when she met with MEPs from the Socialists and Democrats, the Greens and Renew Europe, known as the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe until a month ago.