When democracy ends
conversations in Brussels that diplomats and staff members complain about the overstepping of President von der Leyen’s job description. Clearly, slashing EU governments out of important decisions and deciding between a small group of allies and advisers by judgement, is tantamount to totalitarian practices akin to Trump’s behaviour in the White House.
Surely, David Runciman, the author of How democracy ends, who back in 2018 provided an insightful account of the state of our democracies, might wish to consider authoring a second version of the book to examine the behaviour of the highest echelons within the EU institutions. When I said that Ursula von der Leyen had nothing to do with foreign policy, some former staff of the EU Commission believed that she must be the face as the guardian of the treaty. Well, I disagreed, and so did Nathalie Loiseau, a European lawmaker and senior affiliate of the French President’s Renew Europe group, who in a recent post voiced her criticism on X (former Twitter), stating that she cannot understand what the President of the EU Commission has to do with foreign policy, which is clearly not her mandate. Merci beaucoup madame Loiseau for echoing your concern in public.
Clearly, the political face that must represent the EU in such circumstances, is the High Representative Josep Borrell, who is guided by EU foreign ministers and capitals’ positions. President von der Leyen’s insecurities are even more pronounced today. Disappointedly, the European Commission is the same institution that scrutinises the state of our democracies through questionnaires, our national budgets before they are presented to our citizens, as well as the release of EU funds. Well, you might wish to rethink your positions, get your house in order and start analysing your own president’s behaviour before pointing fingers towards EU members states’ authorities when you convene the weekly Hebdo meetings. That is how you prohibit the end of our democracy!