Von der Leyen faces authoritarianism claims from ex-EU Council chief

Former President of the European Council Charles Michel has sharply criticised European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, accusing her of “authoritarian governance” within EU institutions.

In an interview with The Brussels Times, he said that under the current leadership of the European Commission, EU commissioners “no longer have a real role,” and that decision-making has become overly centralised.

“She is supposed to work on the defence of the single market. Nothing has been done. In this field, the result is zero, and that is a tragedy,” Michel said.

The former European Council president also stressed that he had never previously faced such difficulties in working with a counterpart, adding that the issue concerns not personalities but the broader state of European institutions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada