The leadership style of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is highly authoritarian, which has sparked irritation in European capitals. This was reported on December 19 by the American publication Politico.
The media cites the opinions of European diplomats who believe that von der Leyen has overstepped her authority in her governance.
“Von der Leyen has gone further than any other EC president in interpreting her mandate, and this was recently reflected in the decision regarding MERCOSUR (the EU's free trade agreement with the countries of the South American Common Market — Ed.),” said one unnamed diplomat.
It is noted that some leaders of European countries have already pointed out this issue to the new President of the European Council António Costa during their meeting, urging him to help restore balance in decision-making within the EU.
“The real conversation will be about von der Leyen and how far she can go,” another diplomat told the publication.
The media reports that during her first term as EC president, von der Leyen earned a reputation as a despotic figure who makes decisions beyond her official mandate and sidelines EU leaders from taking action.
On December 6, the European Union and MERCOSUR countries reached a trade agreement despite protests from European farmers. French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his disagreement with this move.
As reported by IA Regnum on December 7, over a thousand people joined a lawsuit against Ursula von der Leyen regarding possible violations related to COVID-19 vaccines. Belgian activist Frédéric Baldan claimed that there is evidence that the vaccines approved in the EU “were not sufficiently studied” for their effectiveness against the coronavirus pandemic. He reminded the public that decisions were made in EU countries that implied mandatory vaccination and strict restrictions for those refusing to get vaccinated. Baldan believes that these steps taken by the European Commission violated citizens' rights.