European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled the EU’s biggest-ever budget, but a chaotic rollout and opposition from key players underlined weaknesses in her leadership.
Von der Leyen — who last week stared down a no-confidence motion — outlined €1.98 trillion in spending, including €451 billion to strengthen European industry. But Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, rejected the package as too large, and other parties raised separate concerns: The Commission’s proposal will go through protracted negotiations before it is ultimately finalized.
Troublingly for von der Leyen, senior officials complained they were kept in the dark about the spending plans, and criticized its announcement as haphazard. “You cannot imagine what a clusterf*ck it was,” one official told the Financial Times.
