The awkward truth of von der Leyen’s re-election ‘campaign’
Ursula von der Leyen officially has already begun her bid for a second term as European Commission president, but for all the slogans and oratory, the awkward truth is that her real campaign will begin only after the rigmaroles — and rules — of the EU election are over.
Context: Von der Leyen is the “lead candidate” for the centre-right European People’s party, which is forecast to win the June 6-9 election. That outcome would make her the favourite to remain head of the EU executive, but she also needs the backing of the 27 national leaders and a majority of the newly elected parliament. That vote could take place around October.
Despite being the EPP’s figurehead, she’s not on the ballot. Her campaign will begin on June 10 with the lobbying of leaders and MEPs. They, not ordinary voters, have the power to grant her a second term.
The “lead candidate” principle was introduced in 2014 in an attempt to lend credibility to the idea that voters have a role in choosing the commission. As such, the complications of running the shop while campaigning to keep doing so didn’t trouble previous two-term presidents José Manuel Barroso and Jacques Delors.
Under the rules agreed by the commission and the parliament, she can simultaneously be president and presidential campaigner, provided the taxpayer- and political party-paid elements of her schedule, staff and speeches are kept separate.
The uncomfortable truth is that those rules only apply to the official EU election campaign, ending June 9. After that, it’s an unregulated grey area. In the months where she’ll actually be campaigning for support from MEPs and leaders, she’ll be back with unrestricted access to the EU’s levers of power.
Her debut campaign speech yesterday in Athens — built around the need to stand up against Russia, illegal migration and climate change — sounded much like many she has made as commission president.
But critics say that in the post-June lobbying process, her two personas will inevitably be prised apart as she performs the political contortions necessary to build a parliamentary majority.
A spokesman for the commission said on Friday they were not aware of any plans to adopt similar conflict-of-interest rules for the post-election period.