Von der Leyen How much power are the EU’s 27 members states willing to give to Brussels?
Testy relations with European Council President Charles Michel have been a topic in Brussels ever since the so-called Sofagate incident in 2021, when the former Belgian prime minister took the only chair at a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in what was seen as a snub to von der Leyen.
Michel backtracked last week on earlier plans to step down if elected to the bloc’s parliament, reflecting the pressure over EU top jobs and the horse-trading that accompanies such posts.
After becoming the surprise nominee following a back-room agreement between French President Emmanuel Macron and then German Chancellor Angela Merkel, von der Leyen has driven the EU’s agenda.
After winning confirmation by the narrowest margin in the EU’s history, von der Leyen positively surprised many. In gathering more power than any of her predecessors, her assertive approach was critical to imposing unprecedented sanctions on Russia.
But she also stumbled. One serious blunder threatened peace in Ireland by reintroducing the possibility of border checks on the island.
By relying on a close-knit group of aides from Berlin, the former German defense minister irked commissioners and high-ranking bureaucrats in Brussels, said EU officials, asking not to be identified
Bloomberg 29 januari 2024
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