The European Commission’s incoming chief, Ursula von der Leyen, on Monday defended a controversial “Protecting our European Way of Life” title for her new migration commissioner, rejecting calls to change it. Von der Leyen, a former German defence minister, acknowledged that the wording “triggered a debate” and that “for some, the European way of life is a loaded, politicised term”. While von der Leyen’s statement focused on the wording in the EU treaty and appealed to higher ideals, she made no mention of the link she made between the title and the tasks linked to it.
