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Cabinet Chief's Move To VdL Campaign Signals Stasis Until EP Vote

EU COMMISSION

The European Commission has confirmed that Head of Cabinet of the President of the European Commission Bjoern Seibert will take unpaid leave from his position in order to head Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's campaign for a second term in office. Seibert is viewed as both a key conduitbetween VdL and the other 27 commissioners in the Cabinet, as well as an important interlocutor with the US.

  • His absence from Commission duties could signal that any notable Commission projects, such as theEuropean Economic Security Strategy, are unlikely to see any forward momentum until the elections to the European Parliament on 6-9 June have taken place.
  • Politico reported in 2022 that "One senior U.S. official described [Siebert] as “critical” to the success of the first [Russia] sanctions package and “the essential interlocutor” between the U.S. and the EU. Seibert’s critics describe him as the locus of a tiny clique of aides and advisers surrounding von der Leyen who don’t take much input from elsewhere, including from their boss’ commissioners."

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