Ursula under "attack": Is sabotage being prepared?

The meeting of EU heads of state will be held on June 17 in Brussels, and the distribution of functions in the European Union should be discussed at the meeting.

Politico reports that Michel is the one who decides who will attend the informal summit, and that he is doing everything to avoid inviting von der Leyen.

The portal reminds that there is a long-standing rivalry between Michel and von der Leyen, which is best reflected in the "Sofagate" scandal a few years ago when Michel, during a visit to Turkey, hurried to sit in the chair next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which is why von der Leyen sat on sofa.

"Member states are increasingly irritated by the role of Charles Michel in the process of electing the President of the Commission. It seems that it is driven by purely personal motives," said an unnamed EU diplomat.

As several sources, who insisted on anonymity, confirmed for Politico, many EU leaders reject Michel's suggestion and believe that Michel is trying to thwart von der Leyen's potential second term due to years of rivalry.

It is added that some suspect that Michel is devising a scheme to insert himself into the race for the next head of EU foreign policy.