Ursula von der Leyen is facing unprecedented criticism across the EU
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Ursula von der Leyen has no plans to quit after last week’s coronavirus vaccine fiasco, despite suffering the worst week of her career as president of the European Commission.
Today she refused to take personal responsibility for the vaccine fiasco and instead urged Europeans to judge her in three years time at the end of her term in office.
She is facing unprecedented criticism across the EU after her gaffe-strewn handling of the row with AstraZeneca.
Brussels’ threat to impose a hard border on the island of Ireland, and the slow roll-out of vaccinations across the bloc have increased the pressure on the former German defence minister.
As far as Mrs von der Leyen, who has attempted to pass the buck to her trade commissioner and is accused of centralising all power in her small circle of trusted advisors, is concerned she is going nowhere.
In truth, there is little political appetite in the European Parliament, which can remove a commission president, or in EU capitals for Mrs von der Leyen to go.
The European Commission is playing an important role in the procurement of vaccines and the coordination of coronavirus measures among the member states.
Defenestrating its president now, with the pandemic raging and a massive economic stimulus package to be rolled out, is still seen as self-defeating.
It would trigger a long process to replace her and, possibly the whole college of commissioner, which would cost valuable time.
There is no ready made replacement waiting in the wings and, even if they had the power to force her out, member states were responsible for appointing her in the first place and won’t want to publicise their error.
A fragmented European Parliament approved Mrs von der Leyen with a majority of just nine votes and the fiasco has cost her some support, which could impact her ability to get EU law passed.
It is true that those EU governments less enamoured of Brussels overreach would welcome having a lame duck commission president in place.
Both EU governments and the European Parliament will also be keen to avoid a clash over the method used to choose the president.
EU leaders, led by Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, ditched the Spitzenkandidat system, which tied the results of the European elections to the top job.
Much to the fury of the European Parliament, they returned to the summit stitch-ups that had chosen all commission presidents except Jean-Claude Juncker.
Promises were made to return to the failed experiment in democracy in the future, which even the frequently supine MEPs would insist upon if Mrs von der Leyen was to go.
Any British politician who faced such widespread condemnation would be expected to at least consider their position or quit, as Theresa May did.
Resignations in response to failure have sadly fallen out of fashion in Westminster but have rarely been à la mode in Brussels, the de facto capital of the European Union.
The sole president of the European Commission to fall on his sword was Jacques Santer, who resigned in 1999 before he was removed by MEPs amid a corruption scandal
Jean-Claude Juncker stayed resolutely in post when the beginning of his presidency was engulfed by the Luxleaks scandal, which exposed his role in Luxembourg’s sweetheart tax deals with multinationals.
To British observers it may appear incredible that Mrs von der Leyen will survive her botched handling of the pandemic.
But while Europe’s capitals, grateful for a scapegoat for their own national failings in the pandemic, are more than happy to drag her over the coals, there is no political appetite to replace her.
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