Decision on Commission's proposal pending at the Commission
The European Parliament is preparing for a potential motion of no confidence against the Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, in early October. The move, if successful, would require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and a majority of the members of the Parliament, which translates to at least 360 votes.
The recent motion stems from allegations of withheld information about text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and the CEO of Pfizer during the COVID-19 crisis. MEPs accuse the Commission of lack of transparency and censorship.
It's important to note that a successful motion of no confidence is a rare occurrence. The last failed attempt was in 2014 against the EU Commission led by Jean-Claude Juncker. In that vote, only 101 MEPs voted for the motion, while 461 rejected it and 88 abstained.
The political group that initiated the motion of no confidence in 1999, which eventually led to the demand for the Commission's resignation, was the European Parliament. That motion was primarily driven by concerns over the Santer Commission's handling of fraud allegations.
If a motion of no confidence is passed, the EU Commission would have to resign en masse. This drastic step was taken in 1999 when a successful motion led to the resignation of the Commission led by Jacques Santer, due to a report on fraud, mismanagement, and nepotism.
However, a motion of no confidence against the Commission is not directly related to the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, a concern raised by Martin Schirdewan, chairman of the Left group. Schirdewan has also criticized a trade agreement with Trump as a disaster for Europe's industry and a job destroyer, but these issues are separate from the motions of no confidence.
If all MEPs are present and vote, even 480 votes would be needed for a successful motion of no confidence. But with the high threshold for success, it remains to be seen whether the current motion will gain enough support to force the Commission's resignation.
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