Ursula von der Leyen, European commission president
It will be only Boris Johnson’s second face-to-face meeting with Ursula von der Leyen when the two leaders try to break the Brexit impasse at a summit in the Berlaymont, the European commission’s star-shaped headquarters in Brussels.
During their first get-together in Downing Street in January, the two children of former commission officials shared anecdotes of their times at the European school in Uccle, a suburb of Brussels.
“We introduced a very rough game – British bulldog,” Johnson told Von der Leyen of his arrival in 1973 as the son of the commission’s then director of pollution and nuisance prevention division.
One could imagine Von der Leyen, who returned to Germany in 1971 when her father decided to make money in the private sector before launching a successful political career in the centre-right CDU, might have given Johnson a run for his money.
“Some might underestimate her because she is small in stature but they make a big mistake – a big mistake,” said one diplomatic source who has worked alongside the commission president.
“She is business-like, not a people person and extremely ambitious. While he is fluffy and dithering, she is the opposite. Impatient. Prefers action over reflection. But the key thing is her ambition: I think commission president is a staging post for her, not an end point. You look at the middle-aged men fighting over replacing Angela Merkel as chancellor and it makes you think.”
Von der Leyen, 62, was a surprise appointment as commission president last July. Her name only emerging in the final days as a compromise candidate, amid a fight among the pan-European groups for top jobs in the EU institutions after the European elections. It made her the first female commission president – and the first German in the job for 50 years. “It was an expert bit of German politicking,” said one admiring official.
She came from Germany’s defence ministry – again, the first female minister – where her often male critics referred to her as Flinten-Uschi (“shotgun Uschi”).
There were some conspicuous failings during her tenure, most notably a scandal over the state of the Bundeswehr’s equipment.
But few blamed her personally given the lack of long-term investment. Even her detractors in Brussels concede that with her past as practising medical doctor, she has proven to be the ideal person to be leading the commission during the coronavirus pandemic.
On Brexit, Von der Leyen has increasingly involved herself in the talks, Merkel recently noted approvingly. It has unnerved some member states.
“She wants a deal – and possibly at any price,” said one diplomat. “Berlin is the same. But for her it is personal – it is her legacy. It’s that ambition.”
An official who has worked alongside Von der Leyen said this did not mean she would allow Johnson to dictate terms. During their well-tempered and long telephone calls in recent days – they addressed each other as Ursula and Boris – she listened to Johnson explain his political difficulties on some of the EU proposals. “It was two seasoned politicians talking,” a source said. Von der Leyen said she understood. “But if he thinks he can charm her, he is very much mistaken,” said an EU official. “She will be all over the detail. And he will see the steel.”
The UK team
David Frost, UK chief negotiator
A former foreign office mandarin with years of experience of working in Brussels at the UK permanent representation before becoming ambassador to Denmark, Frost, 55, is Boris Johnson’s chief negotiator. Frost, or “the Great Frost” to the prime minister, is often the toughest voice in the room on Brexit, sources say. His counterpart, Michel Barnier, has never been truly convinced that Frost wants a trade and security deal.
Sir Tim Barrow
The UK’s last permanent representative to the EU is soon to leave Brussels as he has been appointed political director in the foreign office. Barrow, 56, a fan of natty waistcoats and modish suits, is a specialist on Russia and security policy but has been Frost’s right-hand man during the last nine months of talks. He was the first to make the point that the EU’s funding should not be exempt from state aid rules.
The EU team
Michel Barnier, EU chief negotiator
A former French minister and European commissioner, Barnier was appointed as the EU’s chief negotiator in October 2016. He has seen off one British prime minister and three Brexit secretaries. He has made exhaustive efforts to keep every part of the EU talking from the same hymn sheet, bouncing from meeting to meeting to successfully keep everyone on-side. He has often been Britain’s best friend, trying to find solutions to peculiar British political problems.
Stephanie Riso
Part of Michel Barnier’s team during the negotiation over the withdrawal agreement, Riso, 44, was promoted to be deputy head of Ursula von der Leyen’s cabinet. A ball of energy and super-bright, she is regarded as a deal-maker. An economist by training from the Côte d’Azur, she has been Von der Leyen’s link to the negotiation and has in recent weeks been sitting side-by-side with Barnier. EU sources deny rumours that this has created tensions.
