From a motion of censure to a lopsided trade deal, the events of July threaten to derail the trajectory of Ursula von der Leyen's second ter
…second term in office. It's fair to assume Ursula von der Leyen will be looking forward to her summer break. This July, typically a month of low-intensity in Brussels politics, has been nothing short of a whirlwind for the president of the European Commission, with consequential decisions and pivotal moments that could reshape the trajectory of her five-year mandate. Nobody expected her second term to be an easy ride, certainly not after the electoral victory of Donald Trump, a man whose beliefs are directly at odds with the bloc's defence of predictable rules, open markets and international cooperation. Still, the events of the last five weeks, a powerful blend of domestic bickering, global turmoil and personal scrutiny, crack the president's tightly controlled image and leave her vulnerable to a sort of stinging criticism she had previously avoided. Here's how von der Leyen's summer got crueller and bleaker.
continue reading
