David Jones, the deputy leader of the European Research Group (ERG), said the failure of the German Chancellor to convince the EU to step back from the brink was proof she was no longer in control. Instead, he warned France’s Emmanuel Macron now appeared to be leading the bloc, talking up attacks on Britain in the middle of a global pandemic.
For years, Ms Merkel was seen as the most senior head of state within the trade bloc, and has been credited for guiding the EU member states through crisis after crisis, including the 2008 economic crash and the migration emergency in 2014-15.
But now, her calls for the EU to scale back the rhetoric on banning vaccine exports appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with continued threats, aimed at the UK, made by the bloc.
Mr Jones said Ms Merkel’s inability to “talk down” the Commission and France was proof she was being sidelined on the world stage.
He told Express.co.uk: “I’m afraid it’s possibly an indication that her authority is waining.
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“She’s been there now 16 years and I think everybody expects that she’s going to be going before long.
“I think sadly it is very clear that her authority is waining.”
Last week at a summit of the European Council, it was agreed the bloc would stop shot of banning export of vaccines after objections from Germany and other member states.
The German Chancellor had warned the EU must be “be very careful about imposing blanket export bans, and you have to look very carefully at the supply chains” ahead of the summit.
However, while the EU pulled back from an outright ban, threats to disrupt the UK’s inoculation programme continued after the summit, in spite of the warnings made by Ms Merkel.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after drugs firm AstraZeneca “has to catch up, has to honour the contract it has with the European member states, before it can engage again in exporting vaccines”.
READ MORE: EU unity in jeopardy: Boris to offer vaccines to Ireland
Mr Jones said it was clear Ms von der Leyen, who once reported into Ms Merkel when she was German defence minister, was now more aligned with France’s Emmanuel Macron than her own former leader, shunning her advice.
“I think that von der Leyen is doing is essential what Emmanuel Macron is doing, they are both trying to look and act tough but there’s a great deal of dissatisfaction within the EU with von der Leyen, people feel that she’s handled this very badly,” Mr Jones said.
He added the Commission President was “clearly out of her depth” but that it was almost impossible to replace her.
The Tory MP said: “It’s very hard to get rid of her.
“This was always the objection of people like me who wanted to leave the European Union.
“The government of the European Union is profoundly undemocratic, all its commissioners are appointed, they’re not elected.”
In the UK more than 45 jabs have been administered by 100 people, compared to 13 percent on average across the EU.
Over 30 million first doses have been given to adults in Britain, 57 percent of the total population.
