The failure of the Commission in the Civil War between Von Del Leyen and Michel

The Sofagate, the ridiculous staging staged in Ankara by Erdogan, with him next to the Prime Minister Charles Michel and the President of the Commission Von Der Leyen was quietly put on a distant sofa was just the latest case of a war between the Council and the Commission to affirm who is the real "President of the Union" and should represent it worldwide.

That fight returned dramatically to the public eye on Monday when von der Leyen launched a stunning accusation of sexism in the European Parliament. In a strong testimony, he involved Michel in his diplomatic downgrade during a joint visit to Turkey: “I felt hurt and I felt alone, as a woman and as a European”. Had von der Leyen traveled alone, she would not have been denied a seat during her meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğ and the EU would have avoided an embarrassing incident that revealed bitter tensions and deep mistrust between her two senior officials. . Because it would have been enough if Michel had let her sit, and there would have been no problems. The emblematic scene – abroad, in front of the cameras, during a trip intended to present an EU united front amidst strained relations with a crucial geopolitical partner – was the tangible image of a long-standing rivalry between the two. leader in foreign policy. All this has damaged the EU's international reputation, raising doubts about its ability to act on the world stage and renewing questions about the profound flaws of its structure.

Von der Leyen, a former German defense minister who is the first woman to lead the commission, and the first president in a quarter century not to previously serve as head of government, initially proclaimed his intention to lead a "Commission geopolitics ". And in her very first week in office, she flew to Ethiopia to meet with African Union counterparts and report an EU pivot to her continental neighbor. Unfortunately Michel, who served as Belgian prime minister for five years before resigning to become prime minister, had his own plans to represent the EU abroad. In February 2020, he traveled to Ethiopia for meetings on the sidelines of the annual African Union summit.

The competition between the two presidents was in full swing. But in fact, the tension had emerged earlier, practically from the moment von der Leyen and Michel took office.

We have had cases where the wall of ridicule has been overcome. On 19 January 2020, Michel, von der Leyen and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell all attended a conference in Berlin on the civil war in Libya – an embarrassing triple appearance given the limited role of the EU on safety. We have had two declarations, one from Michel and one from the Commission, which they have occupied for a practically useless institution. In this case, Michel should, in theory, have spoken, but the hostility of the Commission team was such that it produced an unnecessary duplication.

Obviously the Commission's operational inability, evident from every point of view, leaves enormous room for Charles Michel. If Von Der Leyen had proved effective in tackling the pandemic, if its vaccine management policy had been evident, it is obvious that it would have been strengthened and its leadership would be undisputed. Given that for now she has turned out to be just a bungler, it is obvious that someone will show up to fill the void of European representation.

therefore not only is the Union incapable, it is not not democratic, but it is also divided by internal power struggles. If there is anything extraordinary it is the fact that the citizens have not yet revolted

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The article The failure of the Commission in the Civil War between Von Del Leyen and Michel comes from ScenariEconomici.it .

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This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-fallimento-della-commissione-nella-guerra-civile-fra-von-del-leyen-e-michel/ on Sat, 01 May 2021 11:14:57 +0000.