Yet Von der Leyen is still in post. The main reason – as so often in the EU – is nationality.
20 years ago, the unlucky Jacques Santer was from little Luxembourg, and had little recourse against powerful large member states. I remember sitting with him in an airport lounge at the height of the crisis, feeling quite sorry for him as he lamented his inability to force the dentist-loving French Commissioner to resign – because the French government would never allow it.
Von der Leyen, though, is from the most powerful country in the EU. And she is a close ally of Angela Merkel.
In forcing the resignation of Santer, Euro MPs who have the power to oust the President played a crucial role. Last week Von der Leyen met Parliamentarians to try and head off any similar moves.
But still some remain convinced she must go. German MEP Nicolaus Fest says it’s already clear that she is not up to guiding the bloc through the pandemic and “there is no option left for Von der Leyen but to resign.”
But Merkel has rallied national governments and Euro MPs to support Von der Leyen. With a German election just around the corner in September, and the opposition making hay, Merkel, who was a key proponent of the European vaccine strategy – has too much to lose from a Presidential resignation.
But in prioritising unity, the EU faces real risks. There is no real culture of resignation in Brussels. As the official enquiry into the Santer scandal said over twenty years ago, “It is becoming difficult to find anyone who has even the slightest sense of responsibility.”
Sadly little has changed. That Von der Leyen hasn’t even offered her resignation speaks volumes. The panjandrums are beyond reproach.
This time it seems the EU will count the cost in extra lives lost. The longer VDL stays in office, the greater the risk that she will bring the EU’s vaccination strategy further into disrepute, and tragically, the greater the risk that more will die.
Nigel Gardner is a former European Commission spokesman
