Ursula von der Leyen assisted a passenger on her return flight from the G20

A doctor by training, Ursula von der Leyen was able to put her skills to good use upon her return from the G20 in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Wednesday November 20. A passenger required medical assistance during a flight from Zurich to Brussels, reports the Swiss media 20 minutes.

“As usual in such cases, the airline's flight attendants asked whether some passengers had any medical knowledge, said Arianna Podesta, deputy spokesperson for the European Commission. The president then provided assistance to the passenger in distress until we landed and the medical staff took charge of his care. »

An accusation of plagiarism tarnishes his career in 2015

Holder of a doctorate in 1991, Ursula von der Leyen had a long medical career. She worked as an assistant physician at the women's clinic at the Hannover Medical Faculty from 1988 to 1992.

In 2015, the anti-plagiarism website VroniPlag Wiki stated that it had found “passages with plagiarism” in 27 pages of Ursula von der Leyen's doctoral thesis, reported at the time RFI. The then German Defense Minister rejected these allegations and called for an independent committee to investigate the allegations. After carrying out a preliminary check, the university opened a formal review procedure; nevertheless, in March 2016, following a university investigation, it was decided not to withdraw his doctoral title. Many experts such as law professors Volker Rieble and Gerhard Dannemann disagree with this decision.