Von der Leyen cracks EU parliament nut, national leaders will prove tougher

Elected European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reacts after a vote on her election at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Ursula von der Leyen had to dangle a range of promises on migration, taxes, climate change and the rule of law to secure even a wafer-thin margin of support in the European Parliament to become the EU's first female chief executive.

But delivering on those pledges will be an even harder task for von der Leyen, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, because the EU's national leaders, although they picked her for the job, are deeply at odds over many of those issues.