In a recently released memoir, former EU Brexit negotiator and French Prime Minister Michel Barnier accuses European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of fostering an “authoritarian drift” in Brussels. Barnier argues that during her tenure, von der Leyen has increasingly centralized power, sidelining commissioners and acting unilaterally.
“There is not enough listening in the Commission — not to the people, not even to commissioners,” Barnier told POLITICO ahead of the book’s launch. He criticized the overregulation under her leadership and the slow progress on integrating EU capital markets, although he acknowledged von der Leyen’s effective crisis management during COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.
Tensions between the two date back to the final stages of Brexit negotiations in 2020, when Barnier claims he was excluded from key talks with then-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. “After all the work I had done, I expected to be by her side in the final hours. But I wasn’t,” he writes.
Barnier also alleges that von der Leyen was willing to compromise on fishing rights to secure a trade deal, forcing him to involve French President Emmanuel Macron to apply pressure.
Despite their political alignment in the European People’s Party, Barnier’s tone is critical throughout, noting that von der Leyen ignored his departure from the Commission and describing her approach as lacking in human consideration.
Still, Barnier welcomed the recent EU–UK reset agreement, calling it “balanced and in the common interest,” particularly regarding fishing arrangements.