Frans Timmermans, the former vice president of the European Commission and architect of the European Union’s Green Deal, has opened up about his impersonal relationship with EC President Ursula von der Leyen, describing the Eurocrat as being “ruthless” in her dealings with certain political opponents.
Speaking to the Belgian left-wing magazine HUMO, Timmermans said that, despite having worked with the German politician for four years, he “hasn’t heard a word” from her since he left Brussels in August 2023.
“I politely informed her that I would be leaving and that I would strictly adhere to the rules. I did just that, but I didn’t hear a word from her. Not when I left, nor later,” Timmermans said in the article published on August 12.
“She’s simply not the type who comes to say ‘goodbye’,” he told the paper.
“Her relationships are very rational; she won’t lose her balance over a substantive conflict.”
That was in contrast to his relationship with von der Leyen’s predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker. With Juncker it was “totally different,” Timmermans said.
“I really had a personal relationship with him. For work, the relationship with von der Leyen was no less effective, but for daily existence, it’s nicer when you also have a friendly bond with someone.”
He also had complaints about her handling of European Council President Charles Michel. While the green politician agreed with many of von der Leyen’s allies that Michel’s performance has been lacklustre, he described the Commission President’s handling of the inter-institutional relationship as “ruthless.”
“I do think she carries out the function well. She gives Europe a face, much more than [President of the European Council] Charles Michel did. There’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“There is always tension between those two functions, that was no different with their predecessors Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, but they came out of it together.
“Between von der Leyen and Michel it came to an escalation, and she was ruthless as soon as he gave her the opportunity. I don’t know if I thought that was necessary.”
The European Commission lashed out at European Council President Charles Michel on Wednesday after Michel accused the Brussels executive of breaking treaty rules. https://t.co/AURfGtBCsK
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) October 5, 2023
Timmermans also criticised von der Leyen’s focus on “communication” as opposed to “substance,” suggesting that she has a penchant for flip-flopping on issues.
“She has a strong communicative orientation. There is also substance in her messages, but it still mostly comes from her commissioners. Then, if it is well received, she appropriates the subject matter.”
“She did that with the Green Deal too. Until criticism started coming,” he said.
For years, the EC pushed forward the Green Deal, a package of policy initiatives that aimed to set the EU on the road to a “green transition,’” with the ultimate goal of reaching so-called climate neutrality by 2050.
But, starting in 2023, a lot of criticism and intransigence was generated, led by angry farmers who bore the brunt of the Green Deal changes.
Timmermans became a lead advocate for the Green Deal but the German Christian Democratic Union party, which counts von der Leyen among its members, turned its back on many elements of the package, causing friction within the Brussels bubble.
It’s the polls that swung it: EU leaders watered down the Green Deal in fear of Europe’s populist tide, writes @Raphfel. https://t.co/KEPUVGkupF
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) December 18, 2023
