(MENAFN) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has come under scrutiny for providing inconsistent and sometimes misleading information to the press, according to reports citing officials and media representatives.

The Commission’s “spokesperson’s service,” responsible for handling media relations, has faced repeated complaints for restricted access and tightly controlled messaging.

Reporters have expressed frustration over being “spoon-fed [sanitized press statements] and not having the real information,” Dafydd ab Iago, head of the International Press Association, told reporters.

After consulting with Commission officials, lobbyists, policy experts, and journalists, observers highlighted several recent instances where von der Leyen’s office issued “confusing, contradictory or misleading information,” reflecting what critics describe as a centralized and risk-averse leadership approach.

One notable case involved claims that Russia had jammed the GPS system on von der Leyen’s plane during a trip to Bulgaria. Initial reports suggested “blatant interference” that forced the aircraft to circle for an hour, but subsequent evidence disproved this, prompting Commission spokespersons to retract the claim—only to later return to the statement that possible interference required further investigation. Moscow dismissed the allegations as “preposterous.”

Beyond media relations, von der Leyen has also faced pushback on her foreign policy initiatives. In her recent State of the Union address, she advocated eliminating unanimity in EU decision-making on sanctions and military aid, a proposal Hungary and Slovakia warned could undermine member-state sovereignty.

Critics have accused her of attempting to place the EU on a war footing by pursuing a large-scale military buildup and channeling billions into arms procurement, citing perceived threats from Moscow. Russia, for its part, has consistently rejected claims of hostile intentions.

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