How President von der Leyen Shaped the EU’s Response to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Can leadership within the European Commission shape the EU's response to global crises?

In Episode 16, The External explores the decisive leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, during the first ten weeks of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It features the insights from the research of Professor Elena Baracani (University of Bologna) on how von der Leyen's strategic framing and principled ideas shaped the European Union's unified and swift response to the crisis, helping to position the EU as a more assertive global actor.

Read the article (open access): Elena
Baracani (2024) 'Ideational agenda-setting leadership: President von der Leyen
and the EU response to the invasion of Ukraine'. Western European Politics, 54(3-4): 1451-1474

Summary