Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has successfully navigated a confidence vote instigated by a far-right faction within the European Parliament. Although the outcome was anticipated, the mere occurrence of the vote raises concerns regarding von der Leyen's leadership, as she embarked on her second term just a year ago. Such votes are uncommon, the last significant one having targeted Jean-Claude Juncker over a decade ago.
For the motion to pass, a two-thirds majority of the 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)—or 480 votes—would have been necessary. In reality, however, only 175 MEPs supported the motion, while 360 voted against it, and 18 abstained, with the rest choosing not to participate. The vote was prompted by Gheorghe Piperea, a Romanian far-right MEP who accused von der Leyen of a lack of transparency regarding her text communications with the head of Pfizer during the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines. Piperea's motion argued that her administration could not be trusted to uphold vital principles of transparency, accountability, and governance.
During a passionate debate leading up to the vote, von der Leyen denounced her critics, referring to them as "conspiracy theorists" and described their allegations as concerning "extremists," "anti-vaxxers," and "Putin sympathizers." She vehemently dismissed the accusations surrounding what has been termed 'Pfizergate' as "simply a lie." Piperea received backing from prominent figures, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who expressed his disapproval of von der Leyen in a social media post.
However, the coalition behind Piperea was fractured, particularly due to the support von der Leyen received from the Brothers of Italy (FdI), whose party leader is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Fraternity of Italy's MEPs notably voted against the motion. Ultimately, von der Leyen garnered enough backing from her own European People’s Party (EPP), along with support from the Socialist Democrats (S&D), the liberal Renew group, the Greens, and other left-wing factions.
Despite this support, several political groups expressed their dissatisfaction with von der Leyen's leadership in the days leading up to the vote. Increasingly, her EPP has aligned with far-right groups on various critical issues such as migration and environmental policies, prompting concerns from liberal and left-wing parties. Valérie Hayer, leader of Renew Europe, cautioned von der Leyen that her support base was "not guaranteed" unless she reassessed her alliances.
Iratxe García from the S&D called it "irresponsible" to disrupt the Commission amid current geopolitical tensions and emphasized her group's critical stance while restating their decision to support von der Leyen. Despite her rivals' attempts to undermine her leadership, von der Leyen was delivering a speech at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome when the vote took place. Shortly thereafter, she took to social media to commend the unity of Europe in facing external pressures and concluded her message with a rallying cry, "Thank you, and long live Europe."
For the motion to pass, a two-thirds majority of the 720 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)—or 480 votes—would have been necessary. In reality, however, only 175 MEPs supported the motion, while 360 voted against it, and 18 abstained, with the rest choosing not to participate. The vote was prompted by Gheorghe Piperea, a Romanian far-right MEP who accused von der Leyen of a lack of transparency regarding her text communications with the head of Pfizer during the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines. Piperea's motion argued that her administration could not be trusted to uphold vital principles of transparency, accountability, and governance.
During a passionate debate leading up to the vote, von der Leyen denounced her critics, referring to them as "conspiracy theorists" and described their allegations as concerning "extremists," "anti-vaxxers," and "Putin sympathizers." She vehemently dismissed the accusations surrounding what has been termed 'Pfizergate' as "simply a lie." Piperea received backing from prominent figures, including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who expressed his disapproval of von der Leyen in a social media post.
However, the coalition behind Piperea was fractured, particularly due to the support von der Leyen received from the Brothers of Italy (FdI), whose party leader is Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Fraternity of Italy's MEPs notably voted against the motion. Ultimately, von der Leyen garnered enough backing from her own European People’s Party (EPP), along with support from the Socialist Democrats (S&D), the liberal Renew group, the Greens, and other left-wing factions.
Despite this support, several political groups expressed their dissatisfaction with von der Leyen's leadership in the days leading up to the vote. Increasingly, her EPP has aligned with far-right groups on various critical issues such as migration and environmental policies, prompting concerns from liberal and left-wing parties. Valérie Hayer, leader of Renew Europe, cautioned von der Leyen that her support base was "not guaranteed" unless she reassessed her alliances.
Iratxe García from the S&D called it "irresponsible" to disrupt the Commission amid current geopolitical tensions and emphasized her group's critical stance while restating their decision to support von der Leyen. Despite her rivals' attempts to undermine her leadership, von der Leyen was delivering a speech at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome when the vote took place. Shortly thereafter, she took to social media to commend the unity of Europe in facing external pressures and concluded her message with a rallying cry, "Thank you, and long live Europe."
