But Mamer said von der Leyen decided against making “an issue out of it,” and she didn’t mention the diplomatic gaffe in the post-meeting press conference. Her father Ernst Albrecht worked as one of the first European civil servants from the establishment of the European Commission in 1958, first as chef de cabinet to the European commissioner for competition Hans von der Groeben in the Hallstein Commission, and then as director-general of the Directorate-General for Competi… Forging unity within the European Union is rarely easy for a president of the European commission but Ursula von der Leyen managed at least to bring two … Latest news, analysis and comment on defense in Europe and beyond. His party has joined forces with other opposition parties and the Social Democrats to call for removing Conradi from the post of the ministry’s attorney of record, which allows him to attend all sessions of the committee. Such reforms of Germany’s crisis-ridden armed forces might have been overdue — but the way von der Leyen approached the process allowed external consultancies to gain influence in the ministry and the military, according to several members of the Bundestag’s investigative committee. Accenture did not reply to a request for an interview. After news of the scandal broke, von der Leyen’s ministry promised measures to prevent further mistakes. No company, however, has been under as much scrutiny by lawmakers as global consultancy Accenture. Aktuelles. When von der Leyen faces the committee, she will likely also face questions about an internal inquiry by her ministry into the affair. Von der Leyen’s ministry has been little help in shedding light on the affair, multiple investigative committee members said. In its heyday, the business delivered silk to most European courts and aristocratic dynasties. Last November, she told the German parliament there had been “mistakes” in how external consultants were hired and said “this never should have happened.” But she defended the use of such consultants, saying they had been required to undertake a huge overhaul of the ministry. German politician Ernst Albrecht was her father. Turkish President Erdogan HUMILIATES EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Pathetic 60 Minutes busted trying to smear Florida Gov. The first time the public heard about the scandal was in the fall of 2018, when internal reports by Germany’s Federal Audit Office were leaked to the media | Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images, Campaigning, lobbying and political influence in the EU. German MEP Sergey Lagodinsky wrote of von der Leyen's utterance that "'Ehm' is the new term for 'that's not how EU-Turkey relationship should be'." Referring to the PLM project, which was covered under an IT umbrella contract, the SPD’s Rohde said that Bühler and two other department leaders in the ministry “wanted Accenture to get the job, and that’s why they impeded competition and initiated a breach of the law.”. “Whatever job Ms. von der Leyen has in the future won’t change in any way the fact that the committee will subpoena and question her,” said Tobias Lindner, a member of parliament and the security policy spokesperson for the Greens opposition party. Rather, it was about the way contracts were awarded. Im Folgenden soll ein Blick auf ihre Einnahmen als Ministerin, Mitglied des Bundestags und weitere Einnahmen der gebürtigen Belgierin geworfen werden. But after some high-ranking officials refused to talk to parliamentarians, opposition lawmakers joined together in December to force the establishment of the investigative committee that would allow them to subpoena witnesses. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers on German politics. Explore the live extension of our journalism, The wonk's survival guide to the EU Green Deal, April 19 — Rewriting the Transatlantic Tech Playbook, April 20 — The coming shakeup of the EU Emissions Trading System, May 18 — POLITICO Virtual Interview: In Conversation With Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Their report portrayed a dysfunctional organization, The inconvenient truth about Ursula von der Leyen, POLITICO Pro workshop – The German elections, Syrian refugee withdraws from German parliament race over racist threats, Merkel: State premiers’ laxer COVID approach ‘does not fill me with joy’, Merkel perfects the art of the political apology. Von der Leyen kicked off a far-reaching restructuring process. Michel, president of the European Council, represents member state … But not … That gained her respect among some soldiers — but didn’t make her lots of friends in other parts of the military, her ministry and industry, according to officials working under her at the time. Von der Leyen was eventually offered a seat on a nearby sofa, opposite Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who occupies a lower-status rank in diplomatic protocol. “That’s a glaring failure of leadership, all the way to the very top, because it sends a signal to the ministry that it doesn’t matter at all if you stick to the rules or don’t — it won’t have any consequences either way,” he said. Twice Weekly. Theoretically, Mrs von der Leyen would get a transitional allowance of just under €219,500 (£198,000) a year. An investigative committee of the German parliament — the toughest instrument that lawmakers can use to probe government misdeeds — is digging into how lucrative contracts from her ministry were awarded to outside consultants without proper oversight, and whether a network of informal personal connections facilitated those deals. “That’s why we will summon von der Leyen … even if she becomes EU Commission president.”, Höhn of the socialist Die Linke party added that it is “grotesque that so far, there hasn’t been any disciplinary action — not just at leadership level, but anywhere at all.”. Speech by President von der Leyen at the High-level meeting on … And Suder wasn’t Noetzel’s only personal contact at the ministry. Get access to the FT's daily newsletter with guided explanation of and links to the day's top stories written by FT editors. Dutch prime minister hints at deal by Saturday to end vaccine exports row. Video footage picked up … Analyzing 56 out of 375 contracts awarded to consultants during the years 2015 and 2016, the Federal Audit Office found that in the vast majority of cases, the defense ministry did not provide sufficient justification for deciding that external advice was needed; in more than a third of the cases, procedures did not follow the normal rules for awarding contracts. Although there is no suggestion that von der Leyen herself was part of this network, the increased use of external consultants has been a hallmark of her tenure as defense minister. Zwischen der EU und der Türkei knirscht es bei einer Vielzahl von Themen. Von der Leyen blamed the problems on a mixture of negligence, corner-cutting and mistakes by individuals overwhelmed by their work. Unlimited access to all standard-access articles, columns and features, UK advises under-30s to take offer of alternative to AstraZeneca vaccine, IMF proposes ‘solidarity’ tax on pandemic winners and wealthy, EU regulator to probe ethical standards of Sputnik vaccine trials, Brain disorders affect 1 in 3 Covid survivors, large UK study shows, Nematodes become latest casualty of post-Brexit trade glitches, How Ken Griffin rebuilt Citadel’s ramparts, Jamie Dimon forecasts post-pandemic boom for US economy, Maverick’s big bets on unloved stocks pay off in value rally, US broaches boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics, Biden open to compromise on plan to raise US corporate taxes, Lex Greensill assured staff of ‘enormous’ liquidity before collapse, Biotech start-up behind AstraZeneca vaccine files for US listing, Global stocks in ‘wait-and-see mode’ after hitting record highs, Italian and French banks revive ‘doom loop’ fears with bond buying, UK watchdog on Big Tech likely to remain powerless for a year, G20 extends debt relief for low-income countries until end of this year, The high threshold for further Fed intervention, Why ranking employees by performance backfires, Forget equivalence, the City of London needs a post-Brexit plan, Central banks should not target house prices, Biden should summon the courage to reverse course on China, Better jobs for young people: one model for post-pandemic change, The way to avoid turning staff into lab rats in a hybrid work experiment. Within four years of von der Leyen taking over at the ministry, Accenture’s earnings from work with Germany’s armed forces rose from €459,000 in 2014 to around €20 million in 2018, according to Spiegel magazine. Von der Leyen takes swipe at UK over ‘transparency’ and says AstraZeneca must ‘catch up’ on vaccines to EU. Latest news, analysis and comment on security in Europe and beyond. Commission disburses further €13 billion under SURE to six Member States. I don’t want it enough’, Not OK, computer: music streaming’s diversity problem. DeSantis Dutch PM Rutte BUSTED in a lie, survives no-confidence vote despite censure The two have known each other since they were colleagues at McKinsey, Noetzel told MPs in June — a fact they had always “been open about,” he said. In-depth reporting, data and actionable intelligence for policy professionals – all in one place. 29 March 2021. After news of the scandal broke, von der Leyen’s ministry promised measures to prevent further mistakes. Henning Otte, the spokesperson for von der Leyen’s conservative bloc on the investigative committee, declined to be interviewed for this article. When it comes to the PLM project, for example, Accenture had been the ministry’s first choice because of the company’s experience in the field, Bühler said. The Mennonite family established a major textile business in Krefeld in the 18th century. In the family, she has been known since childhood as Röschen, a diminutive of Rose. Bühler has said that his personal connection to Noetzel played no role in his professional decisions. Ursula von der Leyen bei Recep Tayyip Erdogan. For example, consultants for a project called “Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)” — examining how best to analyse and use data from the A400M transport aircraft  — were hired using an umbrella IT contract set up for a completely unrelated purpose, circumventing the regular procedure for awarding contracts. Due Diligence – The curated, must-read content on corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions, and private equity with scoops and news you can't find elsewhere. If she retires one day, she will, however, receive a … Moral Money – Your trusted source for news and analysis about socially responsible business, sustainable finance and ESG trends. Rather, it was about the way contracts were awarded. In that investigation, “central questions weren’t asked, suspicions weren’t followed up,” said Dennis Rohde, a member of parliament for the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers on French politics. Critics allege cronyism played role in award of contracts worth millions by German defense ministry. The first time the public heard about the scandal was in the fall of 2018, when internal reports by Germany’s Federal Audit Office were leaked to the media. Die Zuschussrente soll deshalb "Lohn für Lebensleistung" sein. Team. Access our pick of the most crucial global news, comment and analysis of the moment, updated three times a day. Bühler and other ministry officials rejected such accusations in their testimony to MPs. “This is about making sure that Europe gets its fair share,” she claims – which seemingly includes adopting the economic outlook of … Von der Leyen was in Ankara with European Council President Charles Michel, to speak to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Von der Leyen, as president of the European Commission, is head of the EU executive. Der Beitrag wirkt wie ein Screenshot von der Nachrichtenwebseite Focus Online.Darauf weisen das Logo sowie die Menüleiste hin. But the hiring also set off a process that helped external advisers increase their influence, members of the Bundestag’s committee said. Energy Source – From scoops on Saudi Aramco to punchy columns on Opec, Energy Source delivers the FT's best in class energy journalism, forward-thinking analysis and insider intelligence twice a week. Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: In 2015, for example, auditors estimated that the ministry had spent up to €100 million on external consultants, but only officially declared €2.2 million for the purpose. Latest news, analysis and comment from POLITICO’s editors and guest writers on the continent. Those consultants played a more significant role than the ministry had publicly claimed, several media reports said: … “What happened in the past in the defense ministry under her leadership happened — and we will get to the bottom of that.”. Her father was a very powerful politician, serving as Prime Minister of … EU chief Ursula von der Leyen was left "surprised" after being left without a chair during a high-level meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. But others have put forward a less innocent explanation — that some consultants had privileged access to ministry officials that helped them circumvent rules and win contracts worth millions of euros. The Berlaymont building, EUropean Commission headquarters in Brussels | Mark Renders/Getty Images. She also hired a consortium of consultants including consultancy KPMG to analyze flagship procurement projects. Interviews with members of the investigative committee, witness testimony and documents obtained by POLITICO all suggest external consultants have been able to gain growing influence on the inner workings of the defense ministry during the five and a half years that von der Leyen has been in charge. Trade Secrets – Trade Secrets is the FT's must-read daily briefing on the changing face of international trade and globalisation.