You’re reading Rapporteur on Tuesday 19 May. Eddy Wax here in Strasbourg (say hi), with Nicoletta Ionta in Brussels.

Need-to-knows:

🟢 Von der Leyen to honour political mentor

🟢 Fresh attempts to clinch Trump trade deal

🟢 Weeks till jet fuel shortages become acute

In what must be the peak of her lacklustre post-political career so far, Angela Merkel will today become a ‘distinguished member’ of the European Order of Merit, a new prize devised by MEPs.

At a suitably grand ceremony in Strasbourg, Merkel may have a chance to exchange a few words with one of her protégés as Ursula von der Leyen personally places the medal around her neck.

The former chancellor, once dubbed the Queen of Europe, might even offer advice on how to weather an unflattering reassessment of one’s political legacy. Merkel’s reputation, particularly her conciliatory approach towards Russia and opposition to Ukraine joining NATO in 2008, has come under sustained scrutiny since Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

On Monday, she – with some gall – called on EU leaders to speak directly to Moscow over ending the war.

Like her mentor, von der Leyen is also undergoing a reappraisal of her first term as Commission president. Rather than being remembered primarily as the architect of the Green Deal, she increasingly faces questions over Europe’s weak industrial and economic footing despite her sweeping centralisation of power within Brussels.

She spent 14 years serving in Merkel’s cabinets – first as family minister, then labour minister, before moving to defence. Von der Leyen has spoken warmly of the “joy and cordiality” between them and was even caught on a hot mic last year boasting about being Merkel’s longest-serving minister while walking through Brussels’ Justus Lipsius building with Donald Tusk.

In reality, however, the relationship was characterised by strategic loyalty on the part of von der Leyen. Merkel was not always her best friend, twice overlooking her for the German presidency. And earlier this year, von der Leyen publicly broke with Merkel’s anti-nuclear legacy, describing Germany’s exit from nuclear power as a “strategic mistake.”

Von der Leyen also watched Merkel steer a grand coalition and learned. Both women are often seen less as ideological politicians than as highly adaptable politicians, capable of aerobatics and shapeshifting to political realities.

Yet they emerged from very different worlds. Merkel, a self-made chancellor from East Germany, built herself into the CDU’s dominant political force. Von der Leyen, née Albrecht, was born into a West German political dynasty and has largely eschewed party politics.

To understand von der Leyen’s political instincts, look no further than her Merkelian array of speechwriters, encompassing Greens, Socialists and soft conservatives. Of the five, one is the former right-hand man of Robert Habeck, one a former assistant to the socialist group in the European Parliament, and another a Fine Gael spin doctor.

As Merkel found, holding together a broad political coalition often becomes an exercise in day-to-day survival rather than long-term strategic direction. Another discomforting part of Merkel’s legacy is the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany.

Von der Leyen spoke out squarely against the far-right in 2024 when seeking re-election. But two years on, her Democracy Shield doesn’t seem to be doing much to slow the pan-European trend.

Bernd Lange’s last hill

EU negotiators will reconvene tonight in Strasbourg – perhaps for a final time – to reach a common position on the US trade deal, according to Sofía Sánchez Manzanaro.

As usual, Washington has been pressuring Brussels to get it over with, accusing the EU of slow-walking tariff cuts and warning MEPs led by social democrat Bernd Lange not to “rewrite the deal.”

The EU did drag its feet, especially in January, when the US was threatening to annex Greenland. It’s ironic – and a little bleak – that nothing seems to have changed since then. Just listen to the Greenlandic PM, who said on Monday that Washington’s designs on the island have not changed.

For some, though, this has gone on long enough. EPP rapporteur Željana Zovko urged lawmakers to “step beyond red lines that risk undermining the agreement itself.” But Socialists, liberals and Greens are still fighting to keep at least some strings attached, allowing the EU to retaliate should Trump impose fresh tariffs that breach the deal (like he already has).

A hard-line sunrise clause – which would make tariff relief conditional on the US first lifting steel duties – appears dead after pushback from capitals. But negotiators are discussing a softer fallback clause tied to Washington meeting its commitments, according to sources familiar with the talks. One safeguard is already locked in: a mechanism allowing the EU to act if a surge in US imports harms European producers.

The Parliament also wants the deal to expire by March 2028 under a sunset clause. Governments are not opposed in principle, but would prefer the agreement to lapse after the Trump administration leaves office. Diplomats told Euractiv that a mid-2029 expiry date is now under consideration.

Europe’s MAGA man

Karol Nawrocki, Poland’s president, is positioning himself as Europe’s foremost MAGA-aligned leader – pairing close ties to Donald Trump with a hardline conservative agenda – even as parts of Europe’s nationalist right begin to distance themselves from the US president.

Nawrocki’s camp has largely avoided publicly criticising Trump, a notable contrast with other far-right leaders who have recently shown greater willingness to challenge Washington openly amid growing unease over his rhetoric and foreign policy, including Giorgia Meloni and Germany’s AfD. Read the full story by Karolina Wójcicka.

Armed neutrality

Vienna has spent years arguing that military neutrality and meaningful participation in European security are not mutually exclusive. But that balancing act is becoming harder to sustain as Russia’s war in Ukraine drags on and cracks widen across the Atlantic alliance.

The goal, Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner told Björn Stritzel in an interview, is to remain “militarily neutral, on the one hand, while at the same time remaining a credible partner within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy.” Read the full interview.

Weeks before jet fuel crunch

EU fuel supplies, particularly for aviation, could face “regional supply constraints” if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t re-opened “in the next weeks,” the European Commission said after a meeting with national and international oil experts on Monday.

The EU executive said “fuel-saving measures” may be required if the bloc releases emergency fuel stocks, to ensure supplies last longer.

The Commission, which has long downplayed the impact of the Middle East war on fuel availability in Europe, repeated that “there are no shortages of fuel in the EU at present.” It added that it would continue to monitor the situation and “support coordinated action as needed.”

Here are 4 new stories in Euractiv:

• Poland pushes potato patriotism 

• What EU Inc means for workers

• Magyar escalates feud with Orbán-era president

• Exclusive: Berlin warns of Iran terror risk