London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

Crisis looms for the EU as Covid, Brexit, borders and Russia expose poor leadership and major rifts at the heart of the bloc

Crisis looms for the EU as Covid, Brexit, borders and Russia expose poor leadership and major rifts at the heart of the bloc

The European Union is in a tailspin as member states ignore diktats on common action over the coronavirus, a senior figure accuses boss Ursula von der Leyen of wrecking UK ties, and MEPs call on the foreign policy chief to quit.

Former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt has had quite a second life as a rabid arch-federalist in the European Parliament, and he revelled in frequently displaying his contempt for British politicians as they navigated the choppy waters of Brexit.

But now, Verhofstadt is among a number of leading politicians to savage European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over missteps in recent weeks.

The senior liberal MEP accused Frau von der Leyen of wrecking relations between the EU and Britain, causing a “diplomatic disaster” when she introduced a hard Irish border last month to curtail potential vaccine shipments to Britain

That move, said the European Parliament’s former Brexit negotiator, “destroyed in a few seconds the seriousness of the negotiations with the UK conducted by Michel Barnier for more than three years.”

This expression of disappointment will be a surprise to many. After all, the British media does not have a high opinion of the man. Following some of his more contentious claims, such that Britain would be a “dwarf” on the international stage once it left the EU, the Sun newspaper went on the attack with, “No more repugnant figure struts the corridors of Brussels than the curtain-haired slimeball Guy Verhofstadt. Try as they might, even the drunk [Jean-Claude] Juncker or the peacock Barnier cannot match the Belgian’s detestable blabber-mouthed arrogance.”

And here he is, now sticking up for Britain.

For Verhofstadt to break ranks like this with von der Leyen and the Commission, something is seriously wrong in Brussels. And the president is not the only senior figure having a rough ride, as some member states, furious at the mishandling of the coronavirus vaccines, use the crisis to chip away at the fundamental belief that all 27 members must act unilaterally.

Leading light Germany is the most senior bloc member to put its foot down. Despite calls from the European Parliament to prevent completion of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline backed by the threat of sanctions from the USA, Chancellor Angela Merkel signalled work on the Russian Gazprom project to recommence this week, ignoring the clamour.

In a further move to irritate Brussels, the Germans also decided to temporarily close their borders with Austria and the Czech Republic to stem the spread of mutant variants of the coronavirus without bothering to notify the Commission. This caused immediate alarm for the more than 20,000 Czech workers who cross into Germany every day and undermined one of the key principles of the European Union – freedom of movement.

When the Commission announced that it expected Berlin to follow an earlier agreement on a common approach to travel restrictions to avoid border closures and blanket travel bans, it was told in no uncertain terms to pull its head in. German Interior minister Horst Seehofer retorted, “The Commission should support us and not put spokes in our wheels with cheap advice.”

That’s them told. And this time it’s not the usual suspects, Hungary or Poland, ostentatiously ignoring Brussels over minor infringements of ‘European values’, it’s Germany forging its own path. Time to sit up and take notice.

Berlin’s actions are starting to embolden others as Estonian MEP Riho Terras won the support of 50 MEPs to sign and send a letter to von der Leyen demanding the head of the EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borell after his recent humiliating trip to Moscow, where his Russian counterpart ran rings around him, dismissing the EU as an “unreliable partner.”


This sort of reaction is generally unheard of in the subservient European Parliament, and it’s a clear indication that the cracks are widening in this ever-closer union edifice, not just over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic, but on broader issues as well.

Unless the struggling von der Leyen, who is out of her depth, can manage to turn things around quickly, it is hard to see her lasting the distance after just a year in the top job.

The former German defence minister was never a hugely popular choice for Europe’s top role so maybe that will make her departure less traumatic. But the damage has been done and it’s time to move on.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×