Von der Leyen strengthens EU grip, but hawkish China agenda to be tested by EV tariffs row

She vanquished her rivals and pitted her new commissioners against each other in a grand reshaping of the bloc’s executive functions, blurring the lines of reportage and making clear she was the one who would be calling the shots. In a deft piece of political chicanery, von der Leyen connived with French President Emmanuel Macron to switch out Thierry Breton – the Parisian commissioner who was her biggest internal critic in her first term – for the less flashy Stephane Sejourne, who will now oversee the bloc’s industrial policy. Breton had publicly questioned von der Leyen’s leadership and continually placed himself in the limelight.

But now – like others who challenged her during her first term – he finds himself in the political wilderness. The message was clear: if you come at the queen, you best not miss..