Ep 179, presented by Equinor: Von der Leyen's first year reviewed — Manfred Weber interview

One year on from Ursula von der Leyen taking office as Commission president, we take stock of how she has performed. And Manfred Weber, leader of the largest group in the European Parliament, shares his thoughts on her first year in office.

December 1 marked the one-year anniversary of Ursula von der Leyen taking over as president of the European Commission. Did an unforeseen and tumultuous year knock her off her game, or set her up for some surprise successes? And which Commissioners in her ranks managed to stand out and keep their policy fields top of mind despite the pandemic, and which have faded into the background? A special Brussels panel including Andrew Gray, David M. Herszenhorn, Sarah Wheaton, Kalina Oroschakoff and Laura Kayali gives you POLITICO's take of how things stack up.

Manfred Weber might have been reflecting this week on his first year as European Commission president, if things had worked out differently for the Bavarian MEP who leads the European People's Party group in the Parliament. He shares his perspective with Maïa de La Baume and David M. Herszenhorn on Ursula von der Leyen's handling of the crisis, her management style and how things are working in Brussels under new Commission leadership and changed dynamics in the European Parliament.

Our podcast panel returns with new lockdown entertainment suggestions. Playing by the rules (in politics and sports) is top of mind for David in this podcast recommendation. Laura's been watching this classic political thriller TV series and Kalina's also feeling nostalgic with this sci-fi adventure comedy movie. And Sarah recommends next Monday's POLITICO 28 event that's sure to kick-up discussions looking ahead to 2021.