For some time now, the heads of the EU Commission’s regional offices in Germany have been vacant – in Munich for more than two years, and in Bonn since the fall of 2021. Neither one of the Commission’s 32,000 employees nor an external candidate seems sufficiently qualified for this management task. Ursula von der Leyen is responsible for the decision on filling the posts. The fact that both regional offices have remained vacant for a very long time is now seen as an affront by the Commission President to her home country, reports Markus Grabitz.