MEP slams Ursula von der Leyen's aversion to EU Parliament accountability

Staying true to her reputation for straight-talking, MEP Sophie in ‘t Veld wastes no time in going on the attack against Ursula von der Leyen. 

Over lunch at a restaurant opposite the European Parliament in Brussels, in ‘t Veld argues that MEPs should use the power they hold over von der Leyen’s future — she is seeking reelection as European Commission president — to radically change the power balance between the two EU institutions in the Parliament’s favour, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media. 

“She’s not a big fan of scrutiny and accountability at all,” in ‘t Veld said. “You can see how for her being a member of the European Council and being close to the government leaders is very important. She hates the European Parliament. She will not spend a minute more there than strictly necessary,” she said.

For a brief window of time, the Parliament — generally considered the weakest of the EU’s main institutions — is vital for von der Leyen, the most powerful leader of an EU institution: She needs to convince at least 361 MEPs to vote for her to get a second five-year term at the helm of the European Commission, in a vote scheduled for 1 p.m. July 18 in Parliament’s Strasbourg base.

In the negotiations von der Leyen has been holding with MEPs, including in ‘t Veld’s own liberal Renew Europe group, MEPs should not be focusing that much on legislation, but on imposing a “shopping list” of measures on von der Leyen that would reassert Parliament’s role as a sharp-toothed watchdog over the executive, in ‘t Veld said, digging into a Caesar salad. 

The Parliament should — as a pre-condition for holding the vote in the first place — tell von der Leyen to make her infamous text messages with the CEO of Covid vaccine-maker Pfizer accessible, crack down on legal breaches by the governments of Hungary, Slovakia and Greece, commit to monthly unscripted Q&A sessions with MEPs, and hold a confidence vote midway through her term in 2027.