Von der Leyen loses control as sovereignty movement gains ground

Von der Leyen in the crosshairs of the sovereignty movement: the EU is losing control of the narrative

The President of the European Commission faces a scenario she was not prepared for. The advance of sovereignty forces across the continent has torn apart the seams of her majority, and the harshest analyses already describe her as a collapsed and defensive leader. The standoff is not only political: Brussels' economic agenda has come unstuck for lack of focus.

Germany: the AfD no longer wants reforms, it wants the axe

The most significant change of script comes from Berlin. The German party leading the sovereignty camp has abandoned the language of reform and made leaving the EU its declared goal. That move, once marginal, has led EU officials to retreat into the same old discourse: promising efficiency without giving any figures on the real cost of the EU. Nobody in Brussels seems willing to explain, in numbers, what is lost if the club shrinks.

Spain and doubts about the migration glue

In the south, disillusionment has crept into the economic debate. Some argue that Spain should consider its continued membership in a union that does not back it in times of crisis. The critics' favourite argument concerns migration policy: the EU passport is handed out generously, and many see it as a magnet for immigration. Supporters of staying in answer that the EU factor still pays off, but the conversation no longer ends with a pat on the back.

The consequence, told without rhetorical belts, is that the sovereignty movement no longer stops at Germany's borders. If the forces questioning the European architecture end up forming a government in a major country, the Commission will have no plan other than to improvise. And the lady from Brussels, for now, is still searching for the perfect lectern for a crisis she does not yet know how to explain.