Ursula von der Leyen does Europe does not matter. All she cares about is promoting herself and securing her position. To do this, it is ready to promise anything to anyone, regardless of the truth of its announcements, without regard to the future of Europe.
Cuddle course with the enemies of the rule of law
Von der Leyen wants power, and she doesn’t care what she has to do to get it. In her application speech to become Commission President, she wholeheartedly pledged that she would not compromise when it comes to the rule of law in the EU. After five years of struggling when it comes to the rule of law, it becomes clear: she was never serious. Securing her majority was always more important to her than protecting democracy in Europe. Von der Leyen is currently back in the dock of the European Court of Justice.
This time because she paid out ten billion euros to Viktor Orbán. Von der Leyen consistently smiles away criticism of her approach. For them, collaborating with corrupt enemies of the rule of law is a given in power politics. The country is willing to weaken the EU to strengthen its own power, whatever the cost.
Builder of the debt union
For Von der Leyen, the ten billion to Orbán were just peanuts compared to the 750 billion Corona reconstruction fund that she set up. With the fund she laid the foundation for the left-wing political goal of the EU debt union. Of course she never said that. To win the support of austerity-minded member states, the country has repeatedly publicly assured that borrowing would remain a historically unique event and an exception.
But although hundreds of billions of euros have not yet been withdrawn from the reconstruction fund, von der Leyen announced a few days ago that he was open to the mutualization of new EU debt. Such a turn of events is completely normal for Von der Leyen. It can propose a ban on combustion engines and then lead an election campaign against the combustion ban. Commitments have no meaning to them. She is a political chameleon, not a values politician. She sees herself as the surrogate agent of the political forces that secure her power, whether they are left-wing moral educators or right-wing total demagogues. If the green there will be a Green Deal at elections; if the ultra-right wins, there will soon be a Brown Deal. Why not? It’s not on any ballot.
Front pages instead of detailed work
With the Green Deal, Von der Leyen pledged the European population to the climate-friendly transformation and then flew 47 km from Vienna to Bratislava in a private jet to announce that Slovakia is entitled to EU corona funds for the green transformation. She continued to endure the outrage about this undeterred. For Von der Leyen, credibility plays a subordinate political role. She has always been looking for the next step in her career when it comes to taking stock of the work she has done. She’s interested in the front pages, not the detailed work. The successors must ensure the implementation of their misleading packages.
Middle class ignorance
Accordingly, in five years, Von der Leyen has regulated the EU economy to the point where it is no longer competitive. Whether it concerned the origin of every coffee bean, the technology of every car or the insulation of every house, Von der Leyen assumed he could arrange everything. When criticism of regulatory anger against business became too loud, it responded as it always did: with a pompous new legislative initiative. She announced that she wants to reduce reporting requirements for companies by 25%.
Today, almost 450 days later, the European Commission is still trying to figure out how many reporting requirements there are. Von der Leyen’s promise was never meant seriously. For her, it was always just about the head. And because SMEs rightly continued to grumble, she simply came up with another initiative: the appointment of an EU representative for SMEs who would personally tackle the problems of European SMEs. To fill the vacancy, she chose the last-placed applicant during the selection process. His qualifications clearly didn’t interest her, the applicant was from the CDU, and she needed the support of the CDU for her reappointment as Commission President. The middle class had to lose out.
False promises
The list of false promises about her self-promotion goes on endlessly: during the energy crisis, Von der Leyen promised the restless Europeans 140 billion euros through the skimming of excess profits. But this song was also born from fantasy. The European Commission has now had to admit that not even a fraction of the promised billions will be collected. Von der Leyen shrugs off such mistakes. The most important thing is that the slogan was right. The show must go on.
Also those that Von der Leyen initially celebrated in the media corona-Vaccine deals ultimately ended in economic fiasco. Hundreds of millions of over-ordered vaccine doses have had to be destroyed so far. The costs for European taxpayers amount to several billion euros. However, Von der Leyen did not comment on the fact that her vaccine deals are now being investigated by the European Public Prosecution Service due to suspicions of corruption. The spotlight should only be on their self-marketing.
Less van der Leyen, more freedom
It would have been important to discuss all these criticisms publicly with Von der Leyen, but she is in hiding. Although she is the CDU’s official leading candidate, she cannot be debated or elected in Germany. She avoids critical questions from European journalists. She would rather stage herself and her work. With this arrogance she damages our democracy and the reputation of the EU.
The EU has not improved under Von der Leyen. It now stands in the way of preparing the EU for the future. The crises and challenges that Europe will have to overcome in the coming years are too serious to be left to von der Leyen’s pseudo-politics. What is needed now is an EU that not only promises a lot, but also delivers a lot. An EU with fewer rules, but with stronger action, that leaves people alone but does not abandon them. A braver EU that dares to stand up for peace and defend peace in the world. That creates Ursula von der Leyen not. But Europe can do more, Europe deserves more.
Citizens have the right to an EU policy that strengthens the economy and reduces the burden on citizens. They deserve a combative EU leadership that enables more than it prevents and that is prepared to shape the European future in a courageous and cosmopolitan way. It’s all about this. It does not matter. It’s Europe.