Ursula von der Leyen came to the post of President of the European Commission five years ago with a less than glittering reputation. Martin Schulz, her compatriot and former President of the European Parliament, described her as the ‘weakest minister’ in Angela Merkel’s government. There was a strong sense that she had been booted upstairs after her failures as German defence minister, which included running down the armed forces to the point where some soldiers had to take part in a Nato exercise with broomsticks in place of guns. Even the junior partners in the then ruling coalition in Germany declined to back her candidacy.
With such low expectations she would have had to perform very badly indeed if she were to disappoint. It is perhaps fair to say that she is less of joke candidate this time around, as she stands for a second five-year term in the job. Nevertheless, she will carry significant baggage.
There was the farce of the EU vaccines procurement, which left the EU lagging behind the UK in administering Covid vaccines in the early months of 2021.
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