The end of your studies can be a very stressful moment, especially if you had to write a masters thesis to get your diploma. Suddenly, you find yourself sitting in a room full of people, waiting for your turn to defend your thesis…

And more the time passes, more you’re stressing out.

You try to make last minute improvements on your speech, but it stresses you out even more.

Then, out of the blue, it’s your turn. You decide to play on your natural charm.

… 1 hour later…

When you finally learn that you passed, you might get a little sentimental.

One last picture to immortalise the moment…

… and you can walk away victorious.

But what has really happened here?

Ursula von der Leyen, Defense Minister of Germany, was nominated by the heads of the EU member states to become the next president of the European Commission in November, 2019. During the last two weeks, she met with the highest EU representatives in order to establish her political program for the next mandate.

These photographs were taken on Tuesday, July 16, when Ursula von der Leyen spoke in front of the European representatives in the European Parliament. The debate on her European program and priorities lasted until 6 PM, when the vote took place. She was elected as the next president of the European Commission with 383 votes.

Photograph credits : European Commission (Europe by Satellite)
Source: European Commission, Toute l’Europe
Disclaimer: The story used in photographs is false and it was invented for the needs of the article.