<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-all-europe-is-a-woman-says-eu-president-tusk-after-top-jobs-deal-232619">European Council President Donald Tusk</a> on Thursday asked the European Parliament to approve Germany's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/german-cabinet-approves-increase-in-troops-for-afghanistan-35181">Ursula von der Leyen</a> as the next head of the European Commission.

"For the first time, we achieved a perfect gender balance in the top positions. Europe is not only talking about women, but it is also choosing women," Tusk told the assembly, which will vote on von der Leyen in mid-July.

"I hope it will inspire the European Parliament in its decisions," he said after the bloc's 28 national leaders assigned the EU's top jobs for the five years ahead.

Their three-day deliberations were messy, highlighting the splintering of the pro-European centre in the EU and its implications for future decision-making in the world's largest trading bloc and its half a billion people.

But Tusk said their final decision was consensual and took less time than five years ago when the bloc had last elected its leadership to help navigate Europe on everything from trade to migration to security.

"It is clear that only when we are united can we counterbalance the most powerful global players," he said.

While the EU's top jobs have given solid representation for women and a balance between the conservatives, socialists and liberals, eastern members of the bloc have been left out, along with the Greens, who did well in May's European Parliament elections.

Tusk urged that candidates from the east and Green parties be represented in second-tier jobs yet to be filled.

Addressing the parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, Slovak Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said the major challenges ahead included fighting climate change, agreeing on the bloc's budget for 2021-27 and deepening eurozone integration.

European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday asked the European Parliament to approve Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the next head of the European Commission.

European Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday asked the European Parliament to approve Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the next head of the European Commission. "For the first time, we achieved a perfect gender balance in the top positions. Europe is not only talking about women, but it is also choosing women," Tusk told the assembly, which will vote on von der Leyen in mid-July. "I hope it will inspire the European Parliament in its decisions," he said after the bloc's 28 national leaders assigned the EU's top jobs for the five years ahead. Their three-day deliberations were messy, highlighting the splintering of the pro-European centre in the EU and its implications for future decision-making in the world's largest trading bloc and its half a billion people. But Tusk said their final decision was consensual and took less time than five years ago when the bloc had last elected its leadership to help navigate Europe on everything from trade to migration to security. "It is clear that only when we are united can we counterbalance the most powerful global players," he said. While the EU's top jobs have given solid representation for women and a balance between the conservatives, socialists and liberals, eastern members of the bloc have been left out, along with the Greens, who did well in May's European Parliament elections. Tusk urged that candidates from the east and Green parties be represented in second-tier jobs yet to be filled. Addressing the parliament's plenary session in Strasbourg, Slovak Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said the major challenges ahead included fighting climate change, agreeing on the bloc's budget for 2021-27 and deepening eurozone integration.

European Union's Donald Tusk asks European Parliament to approve von der Leyen

Germany&#39;s defence minister said on Thursday (August 11) that the country was in the &quot;crosshairs of terrorism&quot; and pressed for plans for closer collaboration between the military and police in preparation for potential large-scale militant attacks. 
 
Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at an operations centre in the town of Uedem near the Dutch border, said military and police already worked together on disaster response and to defend against 9/11-style attacks and chemical and biological threats; but it was critical to meet changing circumstances. 
 
&quot;We all know that Germany has long been in the crosshairs of terrorism and we all know as well the fantastic job the national forces are doing, like police and all the forces they work with. The level of protection is so high and so good that we can live in peace. However, we have to be prepared,&quot; von der Leyen told reporters. 
 
&quot;For us, the debate about using the military domestically is important simply because we are now pragmatically preparing for situations that we could not imagine before the attacks in Paris and Brussels,&quot; she said. 
 
Islamist militants killed 130 people in simultaneous attacks in Paris last November. 
 
In March, 32 people died in attacks on Brussels airport and a metro station. 
 
Earlier on Thursday, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere, speaking in Berlin, said Germany must spend considerably more on its police and security forces, create a special unit to counter cyber crime and terrorism, and clamp down on foreigners convicted of crimes. 
 
Germany is debating security measures including domestic use of military forces after a spate of attacks on civilians, two claimed by the Islamic State group, and a mass shooting in Munich initially seen as a possible terrorist attack. It was later found to be the work of an 18-year-old deranged gunman. 
 
The use of the military at home is a sensitive matter. Von der Leyen triggered questions when she put a unit of 100 military police on alert for possible deployment during the Munich shooting. Germany&#39;s postwar constitution, intended to protect democracy after the Nazi era, forbids the army from deploying at home, except for defence against invasion or in&nbsp;case of natural disasters or extreme emergencies. 
 
(Reuters)

Von der Leyen said the level of protection in Germany is so high and good that they could live in peace but they would have to be prepared

Germany's defence minister said on Thursday (August 11) that the country was in the "crosshairs of terrorism" and pressed for plans for closer collaboration between the military and police in preparation for potential large-scale militant attacks. Ursula von der Leyen, speaking at an operations centre in the town of Uedem near the Dutch border, said military and police already worked together on disaster response and to defend against 9/11-style attacks and chemical and biological threats; but it was critical to meet changing circumstances. "We all know that Germany has long been in the crosshairs of terrorism and we all know as well the fantastic job the national forces are doing, like police and all the forces they work with. The level of protection is so high and so good that we can live in peace. However, we have to be prepared," von der Leyen told reporters. "For us, the debate about using the military domestically is important simply because we are now pragmatically preparing for situations that we could not imagine before the attacks in Paris and Brussels," she said. Islamist militants killed 130 people in simultaneous attacks in Paris last November. In March, 32 people died in attacks on Brussels airport and a metro station. Earlier on Thursday, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere, speaking in Berlin, said Germany must spend considerably more on its police and security forces, create a special unit to counter cyber crime and terrorism, and clamp down on foreigners convicted of crimes. Germany is debating security measures including domestic use of military forces after a spate of attacks on civilians, two claimed by the Islamic State group, and a mass shooting in Munich initially seen as a possible terrorist attack. It was later found to be the work of an 18-year-old deranged gunman. The use of the military at home is a sensitive matter. Von der Leyen triggered questions when she put a unit of 100 military police on alert for possible deployment during the Munich shooting. Germany's postwar constitution, intended to protect democracy after the Nazi era, forbids the army from deploying at home, except for defence against invasion or in case of natural disasters or extreme emergencies. (Reuters)

Germany is prepared for an eventual attack: defence minister

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European Union's Donald Tusk asks European Parliament to approve von der Leyen

Germany is prepared for an eventual attack: defence minister