EU's Tusk asks European Parliament to approve von der Leyen

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

"For the first time, we achieved perfect gender balance in the top positions. Europe is not only talking about women, it is 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 union's top jobs for the five years ahead.