Politico: Presidential power wars: Von der Leyen vs. Michel

Read the full article on Politico (..) Von der Leyen’s decision to level a public accusation of sexism in the Parliament plenary, as an evidently pained Michel stood by, seems to have rallied support for her, particularly among MEPs.

“It was a very emotional speech, something that would never have happened 10 years ago,” said Anna Cavazzini, a German MEP from the Green party. “We all felt like being in von der Leyen’s shoes,” Cavazzini said. “I was even surprised about how open she was in plenary, I was surprised about how clear she was.”

At the same time, Cavazzini said the remarks were evidence of a major breach between the presidents. “It just shows how really bad their relationship is,” she said. “And this internal competition seems stronger than before.”