EU leader von der Leyen faces legal action for defaming MEP in court
In a surprising turn of events, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing legal action at the EU Court of Justice for alleged defamation. The lawsuit was filed by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR).
The controversy stems from von der Leyen's plenary speech during a motion of no-confidence led by Piperea, where she allegedly personally attacked the initiators rather than addressing the accusations. During the debate in July, von der Leyen referred to the signatories as '[Russian President Vladimir] Putin's friends,' 'extremists,' and propagators of 'conspiracy theories.'
Piperea, who belongs to the conservative ECR party, alleges that von der Leyen made defamatory and politically motivated accusations against him. He also claims that a European Commission spokesperson repeated and endorsed von der Leyen's claims, which he says directly tied his name to alleged Russian propaganda.
The issue has escalated further, with Piperea seeking moral damages and an official apology for the alleged defamation. He stated in his press release that such claims are not only completely unfounded, but also damaging to his reputation and political activity as an elected representative of the European people.
Manfred Weber, president of von der Leyen's centre-right European People's Party (EPP), added fuel to the fire by describing the signatories to the motion as 'puppets of Putin.' Weber's comment, along with von der Leyen's, has been met with criticism and calls for an apology.
Von der Leyen is set to face two confidence votes in October, the first launched by the far-right Patriots for Europe and the most recent launched by the Parliament's Left group. The European Commission has declined to comment on the allegations.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the EU community watches with bated breath, eager to see how this high-profile case will be resolved. The outcome could have significant implications for the political landscape of the European Union.
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