In the latest edition of his column “How I see it”, publisher Dr.
Dirk Ippen with the policy of the EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Munich
- If something goes wrong in the EU, it is not easy to identify who is responsible.
For example, the Commission President happily blames the shopping disaster for vaccination doses on the fact that everything needs time with 27 Commissioners.
There is still no excuse for the fact that older people will be protected for months less in the EU than in the USA, England or Israel.
Instead we just hear that things could have been worse.
The EU bought too late and unprofessionally because it had no experience in it.
According to the EU constitution, health issues are not part of its remit at all.
The responsibility for health rests with the individual Member States.
Transferring them to the EU during the life-threatening crisis was well-intentioned, but unwise.
At the end of December, a beaming Ursula von der Leyen celebrated this mistake as a great European success in front of the television cameras.
At that point it was already clear that the EU's supply contracts with the pharmaceutical industry were full of holes like Swiss cheese.
The subsequent dispute in January with the supplier Astrazeneca was a mixture of panic and anger.
The already announced export controls for vaccines, with the violation of the contract closing the border between Dublin and Northern Ireland, had to be withdrawn in a hectic night action.
Here, too, there was no real excuse and the arrogant statement of a spokesman for the EU Commission: "Only the Pope is infallible."
Ms. von der Leyen's failure was foreseeable after the experiences we had with her in the Bundeswehr.
Therefore, one may well ask what actually qualified this lady for this post, apart from that she speaks good English and French?
It was the expectation that she would always do what her main supporters want, namely French President Macron and Chancellor Merkel.
As seen today, you will regret this careless decision.
Because now many in their countries hold them responsible for delayed vaccinations unnecessarily prolonging the pandemic.
That could cost Macron his re-election.
The right-wing extremist challenger Le Pen is already warming up.
But you really have to feel sorry for Ms. Merkel.
She is not up for re-election.
But it is only sad that her in many ways very successful chancellorship is now coming to an end with her announcing from television appearance to television appearance: "On the whole, nothing went wrong." The speed of light conjuring up vaccines sounds hollow in the face of political failure.
No apology from her either, nor from Health Minister Spahn, who supported everything.
Congratulations, Mr Söder, your candidacy is now more likely.
In order to spare Ms. Merkel an unworthy chancellor twilight, Ms. von der Leyen should do her former boss good by taking the blame on herself by resigning.