A political civil war has erupted at the heart of the European Union after former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier launched a blistering attack on Ursula von der Leyen, accusing her of presiding over an “authoritarian drift” during her time as European Commission President. Mr Barnier, once one of Brussels’ most powerful figures and now a vocal critic, delivers the damning verdict in a new memoir, What I Have Learnt from You, which was published on Wednesday.
In an interview with POLITICO ahead of the release, the 74-year-old, who was briefly French Prime Minister last year, said: “The drift has increased a notch in the last six years with Ursula von der Leyen, who wants to decide everything.” He said: “There isn’t enough listening [in the Commission]. There isn’t enough listening to the people.” Mr Barnier’s comments lay bare deep divisions inside the EU’s top ranks, with Mr Barnier turning on a long-time political ally and fellow member of the centre-right European People’s Party.
The 74-year-old also accused Ms von der Leyen of sidelining him during the critical final phase of Brexit talks with then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in 2020, despite leading the negotiations for more than four years.
He said: “I thought it would be normal, after the work I’d done, to be by her side in the last hours. But it was not the case.”
Mr Barnier’s grievances go beyond Brexit. He paints a picture of an increasingly centralised Commission, where decisions are made by a tight inner circle of loyalists. He said: “Commissioners have become super technocrats,” and warned that political debate had been stifled.
He also criticised the Commission’s performance on major economic files, highlighting a failure to advance EU capital markets integration and claiming that excessive regulation had weighed down growth across the bloc.
On Brexit, Mr Barnier accused Ms von der Leyen of treating the future of European fishermen as expendable in the rush to finalise a deal with the UK. He said: “Fishing became a secondary, possibly even marginal, topic for her.”
He claimed it fell to French President Emmanuel Macron to intervene directly. According to Mr Barnier, Mr Macron had to threaten a veto to force Ms von der Leyen to secure concessions. He said: “Without that threat, the deal would have gone through without an agreement on fishing.”
Mr Barnier also revealed that his departure from the Commission in 2021 passed without acknowledgement from Ms von der Leyen. He said: “Decidedly, we do not have the same concept of work and human relationships.”
Despite the scathing assessment, Mr Barnier did offer some praise. He said: “It’s true she had to deal with crises — the pandemic, the war in Ukraine. She handled those well.”
He also welcomed the recent EU-UK agreement easing post-Brexit trade friction. He said: “It’s a good idea, it’s in the common interest. We’ll need to get the details, but on fishing, it is balanced and correct.”
With rumours of another tilt run at the French presidency in 2027 swirling, Mr Barnier’s political battles may be far from over.
His remarks about Ms von der Leyen are a far cry from the show of unity they put on when they visited the London School of Economics in 2020, where she delivered a speech to students.
Afterwards, Professor Tony Travers told Express.co.uk Mr Barnier’s off-the-cuff remarks, during which he emphasised Britain would not be able to implement any trade agreements with third countries until after the UK has officially left the EU, suggested he, not Ms von der Leyen, was in the driving seat when it came to Brexit.
The director of LSE London explained: “Quite what the balance of power is when it comes to Brexit between her and Barnier is – I suspect Barnier is the person who has more power.”
The European Commission has been approached for comment.
