Von der Leyen Facing Being OUSTED As EU Chief In ‘Significant Election Challenge’

The political director and MP added that “the way the Commission is operating is not good for unity. They come up with a proposal and then put pressure on member states to say yes.”

Von der Leyen is a German physician and politician serving as the 13th president of the European Commission – a position she has held since 2019. She served in the German federal government between 2005 and 2019, holding successive positions in Angela Merkel’s cabinet, most recently as minister of defence.

She has, however, faced an increase in criticism over her policies and alleged mismanagement.

Most recently, Von der Leyen has come under pressure to respond to the immigrant crisis that has reached boiling point in Italy.

Over the past week, more than 7,000 migrants have arrived in Lampedusa on flimsy boats from Tunisia. One of Italy’s Pelagie Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea between Tunisia and Malta, Lampedusa has a local population of around 6,000. The migrant reception center only has capacity for 400 migrants, prompting the local authorities to declare a state of emergency.

President Meloni, of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, stressed that the “challenge of the massive flow of immigrants” must be addressed at a pan-European level. “If somebody here in Europe were to think that this crisis that we are tackling and facing could just be solved within Italian borders, then it would be a very big and huge mistake,” she said at a press conference at Lampedusa airport, after her visit to the center.

Over the past few days, Italian authorities, including the mayor of Lampedusa, have voiced concerns that the country has been left to deal with the crisis on its own. During her visit, the European Commission president announced a 10-point action plan for Lampedusa. “Migration is a European challenge and will receive a European solution,” von der Leyen said.