Von der Leyen ‘super authoritarian’ – ex-European Council chief

Charles Michel has become the latest EU figure to criticize the Commission president’s leadership style

Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen pictured on October 17, 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. ©  Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has turned EU governance into a “super authoritarian” system, former European Council President Charles Michel has said, accusing her of overstepping her mandate.

Michel, who worked alongside von der Leyen for five years from 2019 until 2024, has become the latest figure to criticize her leadership style.

“There is a super authoritarian governance,” he said in an interview with The Brussels Times on Monday. “[The European] commissioners have absolutely no role anymore.” 

Under EU treaties, the 27 commissioners collectively propose laws, enforce treaties, and manage the EU budget, while the president sets political guidelines and allocates portfolios. Von der Leyen has been accused of concentrating power in her own office, reducing commissioners to little more than administrators.

Michel, a former Belgian prime minister, said his inability to work with von der Leyen was unprecedented. “Never in the past had I faced this level of difficulty in terms of collaboration with a colleague. Never,” he said.

Tensions between the bloc’s top officials spilled into the public during the so-called “Sofagate” incident in Ankara in April 2021, when Michel took the only available chair next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leaving von der Leyen without a seat and forcing her onto a sofa. At the time, von der Leyen suggested sexism was at play.

“The protocol was perfectly respected,” Michel insisted. “The Commission decided to instrumentalize this incident to try to grab more power… and to get involved in things that are not [its] responsibility.” 

Von der Leyen has also reportedly proposed creating a new intelligence cell that would bypass the EU’s existing intelligence center, while seeking to concentrate authority at the expense of the bloc’s diplomatic service.

Former and current EU officials have levelled similar complaints against von der Leyen. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly described her as a “dictator.” Kallas’ predecessor Josep Borrell said she “systematically exceeded” her powers in shaping foreign policy. Former Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton accused her of “questionable governance” and of going behind his back to force him out.

Von der Leyen’s presidency has been shadowed by controversy. The so-called “Pfizergate” affair, involving undisclosed text messages between her and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla raised questions about transparency. In January, she survived a fourth no-confidence vote in the European Parliament.