Updated 12 May, 2026 17:05
Ursula von der Leyen attends a press conference in Berlin (Germany), 27 April 2026. © Getty Images; Michael Kappeler
According to the Bloomberg report, the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has strengthened control over the EU executive authority to specified an degree that the leaders and diplomats of the associate States now see it as having excessive authority.
As Bloomberg wrote on Tuesday, von der Leyen, who held power since 2019, rebuilt the European Commission in her own image, becoming "the face of Europe".
She headed the EU consequence to the COVID-19 pandemic, was the author of an highly confrontational policy towards Russia, and besides negotiated trade agreements with US president Donald Trump.
However, EU officials in talks with the American news service stated that von der Leyen is "obsessively disposed to prove that she is the 1 in charge" and "continuously interferes with the latest crises – even those beyond its competence" – neglecting its key mission of strengthening the economy.
According to Bloomberg, for example, the draft interior marketplace strategy, drawn up by Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, has been entirely neglected since November.
The president made this paper available to the associate States and the European Parliament only a fewer days before its publication last month, which in practice prevented any consultation.
A akin script took place last year, erstwhile von der Leyen made the draft long-term EU budget available at the last minute to her co-workers from the Commission, causing the anger of the associate States that, without prior consultation, requested a evidence of EUR 2 trillion (US$2.4 trillion).
Germany immediately rejected this budget, and MPs from the CDU organization to which von der Leyen belongs met to request additional control mechanisms for its power. Meanwhile, the leaders of the business planet request that it take action to improve the competitiveness of the block, but, as Bloomberg claims, their demands seldom scope ‘hermetic’ and ‘actually micro-managed” among her advisors.
In 2024 von der Leyen was entrusted with a second word at the head of the Commission, which she devoted to the extremist centralization of power in Brussels.
It started its word by setting up a 26-member panel of Commissioners without consulting the European Parliament in advance;
Last year, she proposed the creation of an intelligence agency under her direct supervision, thus taking work from the EU diplomatic service led by Kaja Kallas, and she besides pushed the concept of the European Union ‘two speeds’in which smaller groups of countries could take political decisions without having to get unanimous support from all 27 associate States.
Von der Leyen besides took action to abolish the request of unanimity in the European Union on abroad policy matters, arguing that the Commission's proposals should be adopted by simple majority.
In the context of the block's policy towards Ukraine, abolishing the request of unanimity would mean eliminating the right of veto that was exercised by erstwhile Hungarian Prime Minister and war critic Viktor Orbán, and would undermine the neutrality of countries specified as Austria and Ireland.
Translated by Google Translator
source:https://www.rt.com/news/639901-von-der-leyen-power/
