— The system, the way the College of Commissioners is organized – very centralized, let's call it presidential – is not good for the Commission and is not good for Europe in general, says Schmit, who was commissioner for employment and social rights during von der Leyen's first term. — I have the impression that the commissioners are now largely silenced – he adds.
Schmit represented Luxembourg at the European Commission from 2019 to 2024 and was the main candidate of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the 2024 European Parliament elections. The socialists had hoped that he would stay in office for a second term, but the Luxembourg government instead nominated Christophe Hansen from the center-right European People's Party (EPP), to which von der Leyen belongs. Schmit is currently president of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies, PES's think tank.
While it is rare for sitting commissioners to openly criticize von der Leyen, several former members of the college have done so. In his memoirs, Michel Barnier called her way of managing the Commission “authoritarian drift”. Another former commissioner, Thierry Breton, also said von der Leyen wielded too much power, arguing that Europe “it was not built to have an empress or emperor“.
As a commissioner, Schmit was part of a faction that questioned some of von der Leyen's moves, including the appointment of a close ally as small business envoy — a move that the European Parliament criticized for its lack of transparency.
He also accused the Commission of lacking long-term vision and strategic planning.
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— Have we had a real strategic debate on Europe in a world that was already a different world from the one we knew before? We had no real strategic approach, no real strategy — says von der Leyen about her first term.
A commission spokesman declined to comment.
On relations with the US, Schmit criticized the Commission for failing to publicly defend former commissioner Thierry Breton, who was banned from entering the US by Washington over what he sees as unfair actions to regulate US social media and tech giants. Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told POLITICO at the time that the college of commissioners had agreed to provide legal and financial support to Breton.
Former EU Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton in Brussels, April 30, 2024.Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Getty Images
Breton was the commissioner who pushed through and helped implement the EU's Digital Services Regulation, aimed at enforcing content moderation policies on large online platforms.
Schmit notes that regulations that the United States does not like – regulating digital services and digital markets – were adopted by all 27 commissioners, including von der Leyen, and not just Breton.
— At this point we should have shown more solidarity and said: “No, this doesn't apply to one person, this applies to all of us.” But you know, courage is not always common, also in the political sphere, says the former commissioner.
Criticism of the deregulation process
Schmit also criticizes the Commission's push for deregulation, which aims to reduce bureaucracy in areas from technology to environmental policy by developing the so-called omnibus packages.
In his opinion this is not a “good way” to solve the issue of reducing bureaucracy.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and then-EU Commissioner Nicolas Schmit (left) in Brussels, Belgium, March 20, 2024.Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images / Contributor / Getty Images
Others on the center-left share this criticism. Iratxe Garcia, chairwoman of the Socialists and Democrats group in Parliament, compared the EC's pursuit of deregulation to something that looks like straight out of Donald Trump's playbook.
The European Ombudsman said in November that the way the Commission conducted the “omnibus process” was characterized by procedural weaknesses, citing shortened deadlines and the speed at which reforms were developed.
The Commission has consistently defended omnibus packages as simplification measures aimed at increasing competitiveness and reducing administrative burdens on businesses.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
