EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen came down with “severe pneumonia” a few days ago, but rather than letting Teresa Ribera, the next in line in the EU hierarchy, chair important meetings, she opted to cancel or postpone events. But while ‘Queen Ursula’ is trying to maintain her grip on the EU even from her sickbed, some leaders, like France’s Emmanuel Macron, are already trying to take advantage of her temporary weakness and regain their lost influence.
The question of replacement came up in a press conference on Monday, January 6th, where a Commission spokesman did confirm that Ribera—the Commissioner for Clean, Just, and Competitive Transition and one of the five executive vice presidents—was, in fact, Brussels’ second in command.
However, the spokesman stressed that there was “no need to designate” a stand-in for von der Leyen, as the Commission chief was “keeping the business running” despite her illness, and remained in “daily contact” with her staff while recovering in her native Hannover.
Meanwhile, von der Leyen decided to postpone several events—including a planned gathering of commissioners in Poland later this week—that others assumed would be chaired by Ribera in her absence.
It’s not surprising that von der Leyen won’t let the Spanish socialist run the show in her stead, as Ribera remains a controversial figure in Brussels, even among members of von der Leyen’s centrist European People’s Party (EPP) group. The centrists had a hard time getting Ribera’s candidacy for the most powerful portfolio approved, especially after she was faced with allegations linking the deadly Spanish floods of last year to her past climate policies.
Macron, however, was quick to take advantage of von der Leyen being out for a few days and already tried to fill her shoes through clever and ambitious positioning.
In what seems like a powerplay to regain some influence—after weeks of political crisis at home and von der Leyen outmaneuvering him with the South American Mercosur free-tradeagreement—Macron announced on Monday that he’s inviting all EU leaders to France in February to discuss common priorities. “From March onward, we’re going to be driving forward this ambition to have, precisely, a Europe that meets these challenges,” the president proclaimed.
However, it was more surprising to hear Macron shifting the goalposts on Ukraine, for the first time in a public speech assuming a more pro-ceasefire approach. “The Ukrainians need to have a realistic discussion on territorial issues,” he said, although added that it’s something that Kyiv “alone can do.”
Still, the remark suggests that a wider European momentum is gathering in favor of opening peace talks with Russia—a position that will be in line with Washington’s after Trump’s inauguration on January 20th. Of course, Macron wants to belong in the winning camp, and taking on somewhat of a leading role among the European allies in this effort has the added benefit of taking back the initiative from von der Leyen.
While Macron’s newfound posturing feels dishonest and opportunistic, the whole episode rather shows the sad reality of today’s EU, where even a country as large as France has to resort to petty powerplays against the Commission. In truth, von der Leyen’s “strength” is only a reflection of national leaders’ weakness.
