Ursula von der Leyen, who this week formally announced that she is seeking another term as president of the European Commission, has been described by Martin Schulz, a German former president, as a “fake” candidate who should not be in the race. From the European Parliament.
It was the Social Democrat who came up with the idea of major candidates (Spitzenkandidaten), in 2014, when he was in charge of parliament. As scheduled, the main candidate of the political family who obtained the largest number of seats in the European Parliament elections should become President of the Commission.
However, everything changed in 2019, as von der Leyen was chosen by European Union leaders, such as German Angela Merkel or Frenchman Emmanuel Macron, ahead of other names that were the most prominent candidates, Manfred Weber and Frans Timmermans.
According to Schulz, allowing this to happen was a “mistake.” He considered that “this would have been a contribution to deepening the feeling that Europe is… a democracy… and not a construct where everything is ultimately decided behind closed doors.”
But five years later, von der Leyen is headed for a second term, and will receive final approval from her European People's Party next month.
“Her role with Spitzenkandidaten is a fake one. One thing is true: she ran in 2019 – but not for the European Parliament, but she escaped from her ministry in Germany,” says the former president of the European Parliament, after Ursula von der Leyen was the one who “ I ran for the 2019 presidential elections.
Schulz points out that von der Leyen should resign, and that she “should not be president of the European Commission, travel to the G7 summit, meet heads of state and government, or be in the Council,” as this constitutes “an insufficient advantage.” On other candidates.
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