BRUSSELS — There is a limit to everything, including Ursula von der Leyen’s reach.
Annoyance is growing among senior EU diplomats, who are expected to discuss the European Commission chief’s recent unilateral power moves in between Thursday’s meetings of the bloc’s leaders. Most recently, von der Leyen decided to sign a landmark EU trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc — a move that one of the continent’s most powerful countries, France, hated.
“Von der Leyen went further than any Commission president before in the interpretation of her mandate, most recently with the Mercosur decision,” said one EU diplomat. The diplomat, like others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly about von der Leyen.
French President Emmanuel Macron — who ardently opposed the deal as Paris feared it would undermine farmers and whip up rage against the establishment — will not attend the summit (this is not linked to the Mercosur deal). His office said while he will attend another meeting Wednesday in Brussels, he will travel to the French overseas territory of Mayotte on Thursday that is recovering from a catastrophic cyclone.
It’s not the first time that von der Leyen has gone against one of the two big European capitals, Berlin and Paris. Earlier this year, Brussels slapped duties on Chinese electric vehicle imports, a move Berlin hated.
And while new European Council chief António Costa helms his first summit, the discussions in the corridors will be focused on the Commission president. “The real conversation will be about von der Leyen, and how far she can go,” said another EU diplomat.
In her first five-year term, von der Leyen developed a reputation for making unilateral decisions, overstepping on her own job description and cutting EU leaders out of decision-making on key issues such as sanctions against Russia. She doubled down her grip on the European Commission by diluting powerful portfolios and dividing them among multiple people, so that the final verdict on key policy areas rests with her. On top of that, the faltering Franco-German duo are both domestically focused, which has allowed her to push decisions through despite French or German vetoes.
“She steamrolls through decisions,” one EU official said, referring to both her decisions on Mercosur and EVs.
Need for leadership
Her proponents in Brussels, such as the chief of her center-right European People’s Party in the European Parliament, argued that this is precisely what a true European leader should do — upholding the European interests above individual national interests.
Not only is the European Commission in charge of trade policy, there is also a “need for leadership,” said Manfred Weber, the chief of the EPP. “In this regard I welcome and support Ursula von der Leyen for showing leadership in regard to Mercosur.”
But other officials are fuming — not only about the deal itself but also about von der Leyen’s way of operating.
“She can’t go on for five years doing one move to the right, one move to the left, or one move to a particular country,” said French MEP Christophe Grudler. “She has to play the consensus card, not go head to head with this or that country, but rather to convince them.”
For other countries, it’s too sensitive to criticize von der Leyen on the record. But increasingly, some warn there are red lines which shouldn’t be crossed.
In Costa’s meetings with European leaders ahead of his new role, some leaders asked him to recalibrate the power balance between the Commission and EU countries, two EU diplomats said.
Von der Leyen had a notoriously difficult relationship with Costa’s predecessor, Charles Michel, but senior EU diplomats are optimistic the cooperation between von der Leyen and Costa will be smoother. The two have a good understanding and von der Leyen was in favor of the former Portuguese prime minister landing the job. Still, von der Leyen’s solo trip to Turkey sans Costa last week raised eyebrows.
“The leadership in the European Council is in a shambles and she jumps into the vacuum. It’s a gamble that she’s willing to take. But it’s a risky gamble. Knowing how sensitive Mercosur is with the French now, this is almost a public humiliation,” the first EU official said.
Von der Leyen will have to make sure she keeps the key countries on her good side if she wants to succeed in her second mandate, other officials stressed.
The first diplomat fired a warning shot to von der Leyen about a key challenge still waiting for her: a deal between the 27 capitals over it’s seven-year budget. Talks on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in the EU’s jargon are expected to be thornier than before as the EU struggles to fund both its increasing defense expenditure and the green transition.
“She needs an MFF deal for her long-term legacy, and this won’t work without the support of key member states.”
Giorgio Leali and Clea Caulcutt contributed reporting from Paris. Camille Gijs contributed reporting from Brussels. Max Griera contributed reporting from Strasbourg. Hans von der Burchard contributed reporting from Berlin.