But von der Leyen, who is due to report back to member states next month on Ukraine's progress towards meeting the criteria for membership talks, said that Kyiv had made"great strides" and that reform of EU rules should not be an excuse for delay.The president of the European Commission told MEPs the EU should reform"but we cannot -– and we should not –- wait for treaty change to move ahead with enlargement. A union fit for enlargement can be achieved faster," she said.
Von der Leyen's commission has begun to lose some of its most senior members, as figures like former vice-president and Green Deal supremo Frans Timmermans seek new jobs ahead of the end of their five year mandate next year. In the Netherlands, a brand new populist farmers' party, the BBB, rocked the political establishment in March by seizing the biggest share of seats in upper house elections.