HASAfter her re-election as head of the European Commission on 18 July 2024, Ursula von der Leyen announced the composition of the new college of commissioners on 17 September. At each stage of the laborious implementation of her second term, she shows her ability to manoeuvre between the disparate and polarised ideological forces that enthroned her. The distribution of the commissioners’ portfolios attests to this, in particular with a vice-presidency of the Commission awarded to a personality from the Italian radical right (Brothers of Italy) who acts as a red rag for the left and the centre.
In the exercise, Mme Von der Leyen was able to persuade (or coerce) member states, including the most powerful ones like France, to form a team tailored to her needs. She also confirmed that she does not look favourably on the emergence of rivals or dissenting voices within the university, eliminating the strongest personalities and multiplying transversal competences that hinder the creation of autonomous centres of power.
METROme Von der Leyen thus transcends her status as the default candidate in 2019 by asserting her authority. At the very least, she embodies the democratic survival of the Spitzenkandidaten process, according to which the head of the list presented by each political family during the European elections must be a candidate for the Commission presidency. During her first term, she had already developed direct management over the entire Commission, sometimes altering hierarchies and rules. This led to some security or ethical breaches (illustrated by “the text message affair” with Pfizer) that stains his record.
M’s strengthsme Von der Leyen
His leadership in times of crisis, from the pandemic to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, was initially praised before being criticised for his systematic alignment with US positions and his support for Israel, considered excessive by some. In terms of public policy, in his quest for re-election he seemed to return to his strongest commitments, concerning, for example, environmental and energy issues, whose return to the agenda will constitute a test of ideological continuity.
Failing to achieve gender balance in the new Commission, M.me Von der Leyen broke the “glass ceiling” by establishing herself over time as the first woman to lead the institution. At the start of her second term, she has assets. Longevity in office is at the European level where short terms (for example, the presidencies of the European Parliament or the European Council) hardly help to make one’s mark.
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