EU leaders tap Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as Commission chief

It would be the first time a German holds the top EU job since Walter Hallstein was head of the Commission of the European Economic Community more than half a century ago

Ursula von der Leyen, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s defense minister and fellow conservative party member, was nominated by European Union leaders to become the bloc’s next chief executive after a brutal final round to weeks of horsetrading.

The Council will also propose IMF chief Christine Lagarde to head the European Central Bank and Charles Michel as president of the European Council. Spain’s Josep Borrell Fontelles will be foreign policy chief. Lagarde said in a tweet she would “temporarily relinquish her responsibilities as IMF Managing Director during the nomination process.”

Merkel, whose initial plans had suffered a setback on Sunday, came out with a