Ursula von der Leyen announced in February she was seeking to be re-appointed as President of the European Commission.
But, weeks later, cracks started to appear in Brussels, with European Commissioner Thierry Breton publicly pointing out the lacklustre support Ms Von der Leyen had so far received.
Among those who had failed to endorse the nomination of the German politician was Michel Barnier, the EU’s former Brexit negotiator.
The lack of enthusiastic support from French conservatives as well as a series of missteps during her presidency are increasingly clouding Ms Von der Leyen’s future as Commission President – and paving the way for other high-ranking European politicians to throw their hat in the ring.
While nobody has yet to officially announce their intention to run against Ms Von der Leyen, experts have outlined a few key figures within Europe that could become fierce opponents of the German politician. Express.co.uk has looked into some of the potential replacements for Ms Von der Leyen.
The former Italian Prime Minister and European Central Bank (ECB) chief delivered a keynote speech on April 16 in which he detailed a plan the European Union should adopt to not fall behind other world powers.
The speech, delivered at a two-day social forum held at La Hulpe, has been perceived by some commentators as a disguised candidacy for the job of European Commission President.
Mr Draghi, a nonpartisan technocrat dubbed “Super Mario” by Italian media, famously said in the midst of the financial crisis in 2012 that the ECB under his leadership would do “whatever it takes” to preserve the euro.
In his latest speech, he appeared to take a similar stance, this time to safeguard the bloc on a social and political level as well as financial.
The current Prime Minister of Denmark is a member of the Danish Social Democrats, a group affiliated with the Party of European Socialists (PES).
The centre-left coalition is on course to once again be the second-largest group after the European election after the European People’s Party (EPP), of which Ms Von der Leyen is a member.
As her government has taken an especially hard position against immigration, her potential candidacy could be welcomed not just by the more moderate wing of the PES but also by the centre-right EPP.
The name of Kristalina Georgieva had already been floated as a possible European Commission President in 2019, before Ms Von der Leyen’s appointment.
Should she desire to throw her hat in the ring, the Bulgarian-born managing director of the International Monetary Fund would have hugely relevant experience for the role.
Between 2014 and 2016, Ms Georgieva served as Vice-President of the European Commission under Jean-Claude Juncker.
Her appointment would make her the first eastern European Commission chief.
The successor of Mr Draghi at the ECB, Christine Lagarde is seen as a solid and reliable choice given her good track record.
After receiving the endorsement of French President Emmanuel Macron for the ECB job, she may be given a push by the French leader also when it comes to a candidacy for the top role at the Commission.
Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the president of the EPP-affiliated New Democracy party.
Well-liked by other EU leaders, he was recently publicly praised by EPP President Manfred Weber, who wrote on X: “Dear Kyriakos Mitsotakis, you represent EPP leadership at its best: making Greece Europe’s economic success story, standing up to protect Europe’s external borders, showing that the EU can manage migration, leading Europe’s support for Ukraine, being a strong voice in Europe.”
Similarly to Mr Draghi, Mr Mitsotakis recently set out an agenda for the next EU term which has led to believe he may be eyeing up Ms Von der Leyen’s post.
