In 2019, she assumed the role of President of the European Commission, succeeding Jean‑Claude Juncker. Since then, Ursula von der Leyen has become something of a symbol for the EU’s increasingly restrictive stance on freedom of expression and the union’s ambitions to shift even more power to Brussels. She is now also being accused of authoritarian governance.

It is Charles Michel of Belgium, former President of the European Council, who refers to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in less than flattering terms, accusing her of “authoritarian” leadership and thus upsetting the institutional balance of the EU.

In an interview with Brussels Times, Michel says that von der Leyen has systematically opposed cooperation between EU institutions, thereby weakening coordination at the top of the union. He also claims that the European Commission has overstepped its treaty mandate, sidelined the Council, and concentrated power in a manner that undermines the union’s governance.

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– I can tell you: never before have I encountered this level of difficulty when it comes to cooperating with a colleague. Never, he says.

– It’s not about personality. It’s about the substance of the European project.

Michel also insists that today’s EU Commissioners “have no role,” something attributable to von der Leyen’s leadership.

Two-tier System

Michel also points to what he sees as political failures.

– She is supposed to defend the single market. Nothing has been done. She is supposed to promote financial markets. Nothing has been done.

The statement comes as von der Leyen prepares to present a new “roadmap” for the single market that could allow groups of member states to move forward without unanimity, thereby fueling critics of a two-tier system in Europe.

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