European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is calling a meeting of the college of European commissioners on February 4 in Leuven, in an attempt to cool growing internal tensions and improve the way the institution works, Commission officials said.
The meeting is open to all commissioners, but attendance is not mandatory, according to an official involved in the organization. The initiative comes after a series of complaints about delayed dissemination of key topics and after tense exchanges of remarks during college meetings, according to eight officials from different offices who spoke to "Politico" on condition of anonymity.
While the official focus of the meeting is on competitiveness, the agenda also includes topics on "geopolitics in the current context and the working methods of the European Commission", said Commission deputy spokeswoman Ariana Podesta. Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund and former Commission vice-president, will be a special guest.
The discussions on working methods have been sparked by what officials at the Commission's headquarters in Berlaymont described as an unusually tense atmosphere. According to four officials, the spark was a heated exchange in early December between Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen and Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera during a college meeting.
Both declined to comment, but officials say Jorgensen raised his voice and the dispute arose over an environmental document. Jorgensen will attend the meeting until Ribera's team responds.
According to sources, the tension was also linked to the accelerated movement of files. In order for a document to be included in the agenda, the executive vice president has to "push the button". Ribera decided to wait with the environmental omnibus - a package to simplify green rules - which led to a clash with Jorgensen.
The irritation within the offices is also increasing with the practice of sending documents at the last minute. "This prevents us from working professionally", said one official. "Of course, emergencies happen, but this cannot be the norm."
The dissatisfaction reached a peak in July, when data on the EU's long-term budget was shared with commissioners just hours before the presentation. While this was explained as a measure against leaks, the approach has deepened tensions, sources say.
Similar frictions have been seen between other commissioners, including between Executive Vice-President Stephane Séjournalist and Health Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi over the Biotechnology Act. Two officials say Varhelyi’s behavior has sometimes been perceived as provocative.
According to officials, the conflicts are being exacerbated by a highly centralized system in which key decisions go through von der Leyen’s office. "There is a lot more internal fighting in the commission than one would think," a commission official said.
Von der Leyen did not respond to requests for comment. The Leuven meeting comes ahead of a summit of EU leaders on competitiveness on February 12.