Von der Leyen's Ambitious EU Agenda Raises Questions
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Von der Leyen became European Commissioner in 2019 through a "quiet coup", bypassing the typical selection process and democratic legitimacy.
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She aims to transform the EU into a major "geopolitical actor" focused on wielding power and influence on the global stage.
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Von der Leyen is pushing massive new EU defense spending and industry expansion, defying longstanding EU bans on military financing.
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She talks of fast-tracking EU expansion to 30+ members but experts see it as unrealistic "virtue signaling" amid a torturous accession process.
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Cultivating right-wing factions, her shifting stances mimic US neoconservatism more than articulate an independent EU vision.