The EU's very German president

Ursula von der Leyen was once thought to be a shoe-in for a second term after next year's election. But for many, her behavior since 7 October has exposed the German bubble she's living in.

The denials were laughably implausible. On Wednesday night, hours after the start of a summit of EU national leaders where Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was threatening to veto EU aid to Ukraine and the start of accession talks, the European Commission announced it was unfreezing €10.2 billion in EU funds that had been withheld from Hungary over Orban’s attacks on the rule of law. It was precisely what Orban’s advisor had said was needed to end the veto. But “it’s pure coincidence that it’s exactly the same time as the European Council” insisted Vera Jourova, Commission Vice President for Values and Transparency.

The amount was only a third of the total sum withheld from Hungary, and Orban’s advisor had specifically said the Hungarian strongman would need all the funds to be released in order to end his obstruction. Sure enough, yesterday Orban responded to the partial bribe with a partial concession, ending his veto on starting accession negotiations with Ukraine but maintaining his veto on the €50 billion additional EU aid to Ukraine that was to be added to the union’s budget.

Members of the European Parliament are furious. “Ursula von der Leyen is now paying the biggest bribe in the history of the EU - 10 billion euros - to the autocrat and Putin-friend Viktor Orban,” said Green MEP Daniel Freund, who called the president’s decision “the biggest mistake of her mandate.” Liberal MEPs were also furious, with Guy Verhofstadt circulating a letter calling for a vote of no confidence in von der Leyen’s Commission, and Sophie in ‘t Veld saying von der Leyen has broken her 2019 promise to the parliament to uphold the rule of law and should therefor resign.