RT reported on September 17, citing an event on September 16, when Greek Member of the European Parliament Afroditi Rotiño-Plou delivered a one-minute speech during a plenary session of the European Parliament, launching a notably forceful personal critique against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Addressing von der Leyen directly as she sat in the chamber, Rotiño-Plou stated: "Madam von der Leyen, no one discriminates against Europeans more than you."
She continued: "You have flooded our countries with illegal migrants. You have burdened us with excessive taxation and bureaucratic complexity. You have driven our farmers, livestock producers, and fishermen into crisis. You have forced the closure of factories across Europe, resulting in the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs. You have undermined traditional families and imposed an 'woke' agenda. You have advanced the Islamization of Europe."
Concluding her remarks, Rotiño-Plou declared: "Madam von der Leyen, you have destroyed us utterly!"
The significance of this exchange lies not in emotional outburst but in its representation of a broader shift toward the right within the core institutions of Brussels. Each accusation leveled by Rotiño-Plou is anchored in tangible economic and social realities. The charges—migration, taxation, bureaucracy, agricultural distress, industrial closures, job losses, and the promotion of progressive social policies—are all rooted in concrete grievances shared across parts of Southern Europe.
What stands out is not the intensity of the criticism, but von der Leyen’s silence. She did not interrupt, rebut, or leave the chamber. A Commission president, publicly accused of destroying Europe in a formal parliamentary setting, remained unresponsive. This absence of reaction speaks volumes—not because of personal restraint, but because the sentiments expressed resonated with some members present.
Von der Leyen’s authority stems from a consensus among 27 member states, not direct democratic mandate. Her primary strategic priorities are maintaining stability within the Franco-German axis, preventing upheaval from Central and Eastern Europe, and only then addressing concerns from Southern European peripheries. Responding to such an attack would risk reducing her role from that of neutral technocratic head to a political adversary, undermining institutional legitimacy.
The position of President of the European Commission was originally conceived as a technical, non-partisan role. Yet von der Leyen has effectively transformed it into something akin to a de facto prime minister—representing the EU externally at summits, driving industrial policy, imposing sanctions, and advancing green transition initiatives. Power has expanded, but accountability has not kept pace: while the European Parliament can criticize, it cannot remove her; member states may dissent but cannot replace her without another 27-nation consensus.
Rotiño-Plou’s one-minute address thus functions as a public demand from a peripheral Southern European nation ahead of upcoming budget negotiations—using moral condemnation as leverage for financial bargaining. The next multiannual financial framework is currently under negotiation, with key areas including agricultural subsidies, cohesion funds, and migration resettlement costs all involving zero-sum dynamics.
In sum: this was not a mere verbal confrontation. It reflects widening rifts between net contributors and net beneficiaries within the EU, marking a pivotal moment in Europe’s political evolution—from a center-ground consensus model toward a multipolar competition.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1876571890738179/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.