Ursula Von Der Leyen speech to the EU
Vaccines, “favourable” appointments and the alliance with Meloni: Von der Leyen risks an encore
Now Ursula Von der Leyen seriously risks confirmation as president of the European Commission. Several newspapers support this today, reporting on investigations, appointments and even some doubts on the political front. In recent days, the Belgian prosecutor's office in Liège has opened an investigation into the purchases of vaccines Pfizer and now (also at the request of the governments of Poland and Hungary) continued by Eppo, the European prosecutor's office.
Bjoern Seibert, head of the campaign, is already head of von der Leyen's Cabinet: he will self-suspend but the choice has raised accusations of conflict of interest. But the nomination of the German MEP from the EPP (same country and same party as von der Leyen) Markus Pieper as EU envoy for small and medium-sized enterprises has also come under scrutiny, explains Repubblica.
Many MEPs and four commissioners – the Spaniard Josep Borrell, the French Thierry Breton, the Italian Paolo Gentiloni and the Luxembourg Nicolas Schmit – contest the impartiality of the choice, we read in Repubblica, which gives an account of “an unprecedented letter” with which the four representatives of the European executive ask to discuss the case in the college: «This appointment has raised questions about the transparency and impartiality of the selection process»”.
It's not over. As La Stampa explains, what creates discontent is the fact that the spokesperson for his electoral campaign was also chosen among the officials of Palazzo Berlaymont: “will be the Austrian Alexander Winterstein. Nothing strange, except that only a month ago – the day before the Bucharest congress – he had been promoted to director of political communication of the Commission. The suspicion that it was an early reward immediately arose after the announcement by the EPP.”
The political level also affects Ursula's prospects. “Even some alliances that seemed consolidated are now shaky. Like the one with the prime minister, Giorgia Meloni”, writes Repubblica. As Francesco Verderami notes in the Corriere della Sera, many do not like von der Leyen's axis with Fratelli d'Italia. So much so that, Verderami always writes, to ” At Palazzo Chigi there is the feeling that the Prime Minister's joke could become a prophecy, that in Europe they really want to make “Ursula” pay for her relationship with Meloni”.
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