Ursula von der Leyen s irresistible rise shows the democratic deficit at the heart of the EU
The European Commission’s constitution is a recipe for ending up with failed politicians who have been rejected by their own citizens
31 January 2021 • 1:45pm
Ursula von der Leyen has made such a mess of the EU’s vaccine’s procurement programme that it is hard to imagine EU citizens voting to re-elect her for a second term as President of the European Commission.
Helpfully, however, von der Leyen does not have a popular mandate for her job and never will require one. She was rubber-stamped for the post by the European Parliament, but that is hardly the same as having to make a case to the people and defend your past record. If von der Leyen had been forced to appeal to the public, it is hard to imagine her being selected as Europe’s most powerful politician.