Petri Sarvamaa, a member of the coalition and MEP, believes that Ursula von der Leyen’s approach to leading the European Commission will change after the summer European elections. He states, “Same name, different person,” expressing his disappointment with the past five years under the current Commission’s leadership.
Sarvamaa claims that von der Leyen, who is German and a member of the center-right EPP party, has lacked experience in allowing others to seize power within the Commission, particularly in areas such as climate and the European green transition program Green Deal. He criticizes her handling of these issues and believes that she has allowed too much focus on climate policy at the expense of other policy areas.
However, Sarvamaa sees a shift towards a more balanced approach in von der Leyen’s leadership. Reports have been commissioned on internal market competitiveness and preparedness, indicating a potential change in direction.
On the other hand, MEP Henna Virkkunen disagrees with Sarvamaa and praises von der Leyen’s handling of crises over the past five years, including the corona pandemic and war in Ukraine. She believes that von der Leyen has shown strong leadership during these challenging times.
Overall, there seems to be a difference of opinion within the coalition regarding von der Leyen’s effectiveness and direction as Commission President under her leadership.