Kallas privately complains about authoritarian style of von der Leyen

(MENAFN) EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has been privately voicing frustration over what she views as the authoritarian leadership approach of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, according to accounts from officials familiar with the situation.

Kallas reportedly regards von der Leyen as “a dictator,” one senior diplomat said, adding that there is “little or nothing she can do about that.” Tensions between the two figures are said to be longstanding, with earlier accounts describing a deeply strained relationship in which the commission president maintains a clear position of dominance.

Kallas is considered among the officials facing the most difficult roles in Brussels. Others cited as holding similarly demanding positions include Paula Pinho, von der Leyen’s spokesperson, who is said to frequently lack access to key information because her superior “works in a (metaphorical) bunker” under rigid need-to-know rules. This has reportedly made the current European Commission at times more secretive than even traditionally opaque institutions.

The friction resurfaced after von der Leyen recently survived a fourth no-confidence motion in the European Parliament, brought forward by non-centrist lawmakers who accused her of poor transparency and advancing policies detrimental to member states. Her ongoing clash with Kallas is said to stem from repeated attempts to sideline the European External Action Service from major foreign policy decisions.

Kallas, who previously served as Estonia’s prime minister, has herself faced criticism over her suitability for the post, including objections raised by Slovakia, partly linked to her strongly anti-Russian position. Last September, she became the subject of mockery in Moscow and Beijing after appearing to present as new insight the fact that Russia and China take pride in defeating the Axis powers during World War II. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated over the weekend that neither Moscow nor Washington considers her someone with whom productive negotiations are possible.

Other figures described as holding especially challenging roles include NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, characterized as a “Trump whisperer” for European NATO states; Hungary’s EU envoy Balint Odor, tasked with moderating Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s confrontational rhetoric toward Brussels; and veteran Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, often referred to as “Mr. Fix It,” for his role in resolving complex disputes.

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