Tariffs, net zero, Russia: no wonder Von der Leyen sleeps at work

Press quote (The Sunday Times)
03 August 2025

She has become the most powerful — and impressive — head of the commission since Jacques Delors, who headed the body for a decade from 1985, according to Charles Grant, head of the Centre for European Reform.

Von der Leyen and her chef de cabinet, Björn Seibert, 45 — a protégé since her time as Germany’s defence minister in the 2010s — “take all the key decisions on all the key dossiers,” Grant said. “The other commissioners are really annoyed because they are seldom consulted.”