Ursula von der Leyen shuns the media and favors social media posts
to position herself as the embodiment of Europe while avoiding critical questions. Recently, several journalists covering European affairs in Brussels complained about how little regard European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has for the press. On the Commission's official WhatsApp group for journalists, they lamented the rare opportunities she has granted them since assuming office five years ago. "We're at an unprecedented level of information control," said Jean Quatremer, Brussels correspondent for the French newspaper Libération, who has covered EU affairs for 38 years. A tireless worker, she masters her topics, maintains a constant smile and perfectly performs a carefully calculated sense of accessibility. She is always in control, rarely letting emotions get the best of her, never straying from her message. Her communications advisor, Jens Flosdorff, and her chief of staff, Björn Seibert, maintain tight relationships with a select group of Germa...
