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German conservative Ursula von der Leyen is hoping to steer Europe by means of the following four-year chapter of its story, as she seeks reappointment for European Fee president after the June European elections.
Her announcement at a congress of the centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) occasion in Berlin on Monday (19 February) got here as no shock, however her second time period is just not a accomplished deal.
Whether or not she is going to keep on the helm of the EU govt till 2029 is principally a call of EU leaders, which should be confirmed by a vote within the European Parliament.
Nearly 5 years into her fee submit, the EU is going through turbulent occasions — the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the local weather disaster, geopolitical tensions, spiralling inflation and poverty, and a resurgence of far-right populism.
On this context, a second von der Leyen time period would convey a way of stability.
Her management has additionally gained respect, even from socialist-led nations, akin to Spain.
However not everybody’s assist is a given.
Hungarian populist Viktor Orbán would be the first to query her reappointment however Italy, too, poses a query mark, provided that prime minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy occasion voted in opposition to von der Leyen’s nomination within the EU Parliament again in 2019.
“It’s definitely not a accomplished deal,” an EU official instructed EUobserver.
“It’s a dangerous signal, that you just preserve the established order [when things go wrong]”, the EU official stated, stating that there’s not unanimous assist for von der Leyen. If there isn’t a unanimity, this implies “a weak president” and “a weak fee”.
Inside frustrations throughout the fee and amongst EU leaders might additionally hinder her reelection.
“From the surface, she seems sturdy; on the within, there’s a sense of frustration together with her management,” stated Sophia Russack, a researcher from the Centre for European Coverage Research think-tank in Brussels.
Russack stated earlier EU Fee chiefs — Jean-Claude Juncker and Jose Manuel Barroso — had already proven a pattern in the direction of presidential-type rule, however “it reached a brand new dimension” below von der Leyen.
“By being so closely centralised, she guidelines over and therefore upsets many individuals contained in the establishment”, Russack stated.
‘Submissive’
Von der Leyen’s self-proclaimed 2019 “geopolitical fee” made her extra centered on exterior relations, going past her function as the pinnacle of the EU govt — and going through criticism for diminishing the function of EU overseas affairs chief Josep Borrell, resulting in clashes between them.
Her good relationship with US president Joe Biden is well-known. However some have the impression that she was “submissive” in the direction of the US, the EU official stated.
For some leaders, the supply stated, her “powerful” tackle China gave the impression to be pushed by Washington.
Nonetheless, her dealing with of the struggle in Gaza could possibly be her largest controversy.
In her assist for Israel, von der Leyen’s preliminary silence concerning respect for worldwide legislation was widely-criticised for undermining the credibility of the EU within the Center East.
It even triggered public disapproval by Borrell, in addition to from the leaders of Spain, Belgium, and Eire.
“The harm [to the EU’s credibility] was horrible,” the official stated.
Equally, von der Leyen’s swift and unilateral resolution to quickly droop the EU Fee’s funds to the UN company in Gaza (UNRWA) based mostly on Israeli terrorism-allegations additionally drew criticism from EU leaders who felt annoyed by her lack of session.
But when nothing else, she has been capable of give a solution to the well-known query, apocryphally posed by former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger: “Who do I name if I need to communicate to Europe?”.
“She is Europe’s international face,” German MEP Daniel Caspary, head of the CDU delegation within the European Parliament, instructed EUobserver.
Successes and scandals
Von der Leyen’s first time period has not been related to main advances associated to the inner market, the capital and banking union, or EU treaty reforms, however her geopolitical profile is seen as an added worth for the following fee.
Within the face of the potential reelection of Donald Trump within the US in November and with the struggle in Ukraine more likely to proceed indefinitely, “having an skilled hand on the helm of the fee who has confirmed her price in pushing the EU safety and defence union ahead could be no dangerous factor,” Jamie Shea, a former senior Nato official, instructed EUobserver.
“She might not be a charismatic communicator of the European mission … However her document as fee president is definitely extra spectacular than her rapid predecessors,” he added.
The checklist of her largest successes contains: the Covid-19 vaccine rollout, the Inexperienced Deal, elevating €800bn in recent borrowing for the restoration post-pandemic, and the EU’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
However she has additionally blotted her copybook.
Whereas the EU helped create an efficient vaccination marketing campaign in Europe, it garbaged thousands and thousands of expired jabs — after failing to share them with poorer nations, undermining relations with the African Union.
Throughout the pandemic, she secretly negotiated the acquisition of over 1.8bn doses by means of calls and SMS-es with Pfizer’s CEO.
However when requested to point out how the talks went for the sake of transparency, her SMS texts magically vanished.
The Inexperienced Deal, which was one among her flagship insurance policies again in 2019, has seen a number of damaged guarantees, together with on slicing pesticides, updating chemical laws, and lowering agricultural emissions.
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And plenty of marvel if these pending proposals would make it to the following fee work programme if she stays on high.
In the meantime, different pledges fell by means of utterly.
This checklist contains the Mercosur commerce settlement, the report on the Inflation Discount Act, and her promise to take heed to EU residents on treaty modifications — to call only a few.
Because the chief of the EU govt, von der Leyen is one among Europe’s most influential girls.
However as the primary feminine within the job, she has additionally confronted misogyny.
Within the well-known SofaGate incident, she was denied equal remedy alongside a high male EU official throughout a go to to Turkey.
However this gave her a possibility, which she seized, to focus on the struggles of ladies and present her dedication to gender equality.
Later in 2022, she needed to take care of Ugandan overseas minister normal Jeje Odongo casually ignoring her, to solely shake palms with males as he handed by.
From medication to politics
In the meantime, her journey from medication to politics was not a direct path.
Born on 8 October 1958 in Brussels, von der Leyen was raised in a Christian household and a privileged surroundings because the daughter of Ernst Albrecht, a former European civil servant and prime minister of the Decrease Saxony area in Germany.
In Brussels, the place she spent her first 13 years, she studied within the elite multilingual European College for the kids of diplomats and EU functionaries, the place she discovered French and English.
Later, she studied economics in Germany and on the London College of Economics — the place she apparently adopted the identify of Rose Ladson to guard herself from the then-active Crimson Military Faction German terrorist group.
Earlier than shifting into politics, she additionally studied medication, earned a level in gynaecology, and married German businessman Heiko von der Leyen within the late Eighties.
After residing some years in California, she returned to Germany and joined the CDU in 1996.
Inside a decade, she went from numerous jobs in native politics within the area of Hanover to one among one among Germany’s most vital federal ministries.
After the CDU gained the federal elections in 2005, von der Leyen turned a minister below then German chancellor Angela Merkel’s authorities.
From 2005 to 2009, she served as minister of household affairs, introducing insurance policies akin to paternity and maternity go away to assist households.
She later turned the minister of labour and social affairs, earlier than assuming the function of defence minister in 2013 — changing into the primary lady to carry the place.
As minister of household affairs and herself a mom of seven youngsters, she confronted backlash over her web censorship-attempt concentrating on youngster pornography (“Zugangserschwerungsgesetz” in German) and was dubbed ‘Zensursula”‘ (a mixture of the German phrase “Zensur” for “censorship” and her identify Ursula) by critics.
One other nickname was Krippen-Ursel (“crèche Ursula”) for her advocacy to broaden nursery locations.
Workaholic
Opposite to her predecessors, von der Leyen determined to dwell proper by her workplace on the thirteenth flooring of the Berlaymont — exhibiting that she’s an actual workaholic.
However regardless of her busy schedule, she travels sometimes to her rural home in Beinhorn, close to Hanover in Germany, the place she has a number of horses, goats, and chickens.
“Von der Leyen has been an efficient chief of the fee significantly after we consider the low expectations surrounding her appointment 5 years in the past,” Shea stated.
Following the final 2019 European elections, EU leaders introduced the 65-year previous centre-right politician in from Merkel’s defence ministry utilizing their treaty powers after the failure of the Spitzenkandidaten course of — through which the EU Parliament’s political households put ahead lead nominees for the fee job and the household that does finest within the EU elections is supposed to take the prize.
However this seemed that she was pressured upon MEPs, even inside her personal European Individuals’s Social gathering (EPP).
The German politician secured approval by a tiny margin, with 383 votes in favour (and 374 votes required).
It now stays to be seen how properly the centre-right does within the EU elections in June and if that margin nonetheless stays.
“But to safe the job she is perhaps requested to undo her main achievements, from delaying local weather motion to suspending the enlargement and reform of the union,” Alberto Alemanno, professor of EU legislation at HEC Paris instructed EUobserver.
“This can be a harmful recreation for the Union’s resilience and credibility and recipe for self-destruction.”
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