The Chairman of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen caused an uproar in the European Parliament by refusing to reveal its full plans and Commissioners’ portfolios to the Eurogroup presidents.
Speaking after a closed-door meeting between von der Leyen and senior MEPs in Strasbourg, one parliamentary official accused her of “contempt for the chamber, overconfidence”, while a second said: “I’m quite shocked, to be honest. Totally disgusted.”
Parliament changed its own rules this year in an attempt to force the Commission president to fully disclose her plans – including the “delegation” of her top team – to MEPs. It is something that Von der Leyen appears to only partially adhere to.
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French MEP Manon Aubry, co-leader of the Left group, wrote in X that the choreography was “an illustration of their contempt for our Parliament”.
“It’s frankly outrageous,” she later told POLITICO, adding that she had asked von der Leyen to provide the names but she refused.
A Commission official reacted strongly, saying the alternative would result in commissioners’ announcements being leaked from the meeting room, leading to chaos and misunderstandings.