The French leader was instrumental in appointing von der Leyen five years ago, but he is not satisfied with his performance.
French President Emmanuel Macron is in talks with other EU leaders about the possibility of replacing Ursula von der Leyen as head of the European Commission. Bloomberg reported this on Wednesday, April 24, citing sources of knowledge.
Notably, Macron played an important role in appointing von der Leyen as president of the European Commission five years ago. Now he wants to find another candidate for this high post – we are talking, for example, about the former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
According to the publication, Macron spoke with other leaders, including current Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, about the possibility of appointing a technocratic leader of the EU executive branch, like Draghi, who has also been president of European Central Bank.
When von der Leyen unexpectedly became president of the Commission in 2019 following a deal between Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he promised to turn the institute into a “geopolitical commission”. But he may have ruined his chances by over-politicizing his role, an official said.
According to the publication, Von der Leyen is facing strong dissatisfaction in some capitals because of his management style in the Commission – we are talking, in particular, about trade negotiations, climate change of the bloc and relations with the United States. Macron clearly criticized his work, the authors of the material added.
Officials in Brussels, including those in von der Leyen’s office, are unsure whether Macron is actually looking for his replacement or is pressuring him to make future concessions.
Despite Macron’s moves, von der Leyen remains the clear favorite, Bloomberg said, as she is the leading candidate for the center-right European People’s Party, which is expected to win the most votes in June’s elections. This means that the position of head of the European Commission will probably be given to a candidate from this party.
At the same time, Draghi is also considered a strong figure and is still admired in Brussels after he saved the euro as ECB president by promising to defend the common currency.
It was previously reported that Ursula von der Leyen has decided to run for a second term as head of the EC.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.