European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has been re-elected for a second five-year term following a secret ballot vote by MEPs.

The 720-member European Parliament approved her with 401 votes in favour, 284 against and 15 abstentions. She needed 361 votes to pass.

Von der Leyen had outlined a range of plans for the bloc earlier today in her final push for re-election - but her continuation in the role failed to win the support of a number of key European players.

Key to her strategy over the next five years will be the establishment of a "true European Defence Union" - a single market for defence products and services - as the EU seeks to shore up its military independence with Russia's war in Ukraine ongoing and the US Presidential Election still to come.

The former German defence minister also proposed a legally-binding EU target to cut emissions by 90 per cent by 2040 compared to 1990 levels.

Von der Leyen had also hinted at plans to continue with a controversial ban on new CO2-emitting cars by as soon as 2035 - a move seen by some as laying responsibility for meeting carbon targets at consumers' front doors.