analysis
Von der Leyen is likely to be the candidate of the conservative EPP. But she has to do some convincing in the member states and in the EU Parliament. Their climate policy is particularly controversial.
She hugs Yulia Navalnaya and hugs her tightly. Afterwards, Ursula von der Leyen holds the hands of the widow of the late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny. It’s an intimate moment at the security conference in Munich, even if it takes place in front of cameras. A day later, on Saturday, the EU Commission President sits on the big stage and explains the plan of how she wants to promote the European defense industry. First. Secondly. Third. The hands support the words – von der Leyen in action.
The face of the EU
The Munich Security Conference once again showed whose words determine the news and which face represents the European Union. It is not the unhappy Council President Charles Michel, nor Josep Borrell, who, as the EU’s foreign affairs representative, regularly causes people to shake their heads.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the “geopolitical commission” she set up, is perceived as the face of the EU. And she wants to stay that way. This is what the CDU federal executive committee heard from her on this Monday morning in Berlin. The committee then unanimously proposed her as the top candidate of the European Christian Democrats. Von der Leyen later said it was a “very conscious and well-considered decision” when she appeared in front of the cameras together with CDU leader Friedrich Merz. Nobody doubts that the 65-year-old from Lower Saxony will be elected at the EPP congress on March 7th in Bucharest and will be able to run for her conservative party family.
Much Persuasion necessary in the EU Parliament
But before the second term as Commission President is secured, some people still need to be convinced – not just a sufficient number of heads of state and government in the EU. That’s the easier hurdle. In the European Parliament, some Christian Democrats have the impression that von der Leyen is pursuing a policy that is too green. The Greens, on the other hand, link possible support to the CDU woman staying on track with climate protection. The liberals complain about too much bureaucracy.
The criticism from Left Party leader Martin Schirdewan sounds fundamental: “The Commission President’s record is disastrous: under her presidency, the social division in the EU has deepened.” There are many expectations that von der Leyen must address in her future election program. In 2019, the majority in the European Parliament was razor thin. At least this time there is significantly more time to prepare their persuasion mission.
New leadership style
Back then she was the surprise cast. Not the actual top candidate, the CSU man Manfred Weber, but von der Leyen became President of the EU Commission. The Berlaymont, the main building at the Schuman roundabout in Brussels, had an executive floor for the first time. The woman from Lower Saxony quickly made it clear that she wanted to confidently shape the office according to her ideas and that she saw herself as more than just the top administrator of a gigantic authority with 32,000 employees.
You and those around you have a feeling for effective appearances and images, for the right time. When is it necessary to announce action? Where do you have to travel to? And a good dose of pathos should not be missing in Berlin today when she talks about her first term in office: “In these five years, not only my passion for Europe has grown, but of course my experience of how much this Europe can achieve for its people .”
Earned a lot of respect
During these years she has also earned respect from critics. There were and are enough big tasks: During the corona pandemic, she pushed forward the joint purchase of vaccines. After the Russian attack on Ukraine, she introduced sanctions and kept the EU together. She traveled to Kiev herself early. Such drive and self-confidence don’t just make you popular. And then there are their plans for the path to a climate-neutral EU. The grumbling of our own people about the so-called European Green Deal was clearly audible recently.
But Ursula von der Leyen wouldn’t be Ursula von der Leyen if she didn’t perceive these vibrations. And during her big speech on the state of the European Union in September, one got the impression that the President had different priorities in her communication. Today she says in Berlin: “What is crucial now is that we bring climate goals and the economy together.” The farmers’ protests are also likely to have left an impression. The Commission withdrew a controversial pesticide regulation on its own initiative.
Official business continues – under observation
However, what creates more calm within our own ranks could make it more difficult for the Greens, for example, to support a second term in office. Von der Leyen will have to find the right balance here in the coming weeks and months. In the middle she wants to convince. However, it is quite possible that this center will be significantly smaller in the next parliament.
Von der Leyen remained silent about her plans for a long time. Now the ambition has been formulated and the election campaign can begin. The official business as President of the Commission continues. The other parties are likely to be meticulous about ensuring that von der Leyen keeps things separate.