European Commission survives vote of no confidence
The motion of no confidence was an initiative of the far-right Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea (ECR). The text demanded the resignation of Von der Leyen and her Commission due to a lack of transparency and mismanagement, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
During the debate on the motion, Von der Leyen sharply responded to the accusations on Monday evening, labeling them as lies from “conspiracy theorists” and “friends of Putin” aimed at weakening the EU.
To approve the motion, a double majority was needed – a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and a majority of the members of Parliament (361 votes). It was already clear in advance that this threshold would not be met, as the social democrats, liberals, and greens had already indicated they would not support the motion.
The three political families that had supported Von der Leyen’s reappointment a year earlier expressed strong criticism during the debate regarding the German and her handling of Parliament. The parliamentary group of her European People’s Party also faced criticism for increasingly collaborating with the far-right.
Ultimately, one liberal MEP and one socialist MEP voted for the motion. Two EPP members abstained, as did five liberals, three socialists, and one member of the green group. Among the Belgians, the far-left Rudi Kennes voted for the motion, as did the three MEPs from the far-right Vlaams Belang. Members of the ruling party N-VA, which sits in the ECR group in Strasbourg, voted against.
