Initiate a vote of no confidence is necessary
The European Parliament is set to convene next week for a debate and vote on a motion of no-confidence against the Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. The motion, initiated by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea from the right-wing camp, accuses the Commission of lack of transparency and mismanagement in its coronavirus policy.
The specific allegations against von der Leyen include the refusal to disclose secret SMS messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the COVID-19 vaccine procurement. Piperea cites a ruling from the EU Court of Justice demanding the disclosure of these messages, which the European Commission has refused, allegedly undermining judicial authority and democratic principles.
Additional accusations include alleged mismanagement and misspending of post-COVID funds, financial irregularities during the pandemic recovery period, and an attempt by the Commission to promote its green policies through financing NGOs to lobby MEPs. The Commission denies these allegations.
The no-confidence motion also broadly criticises the Commission's coronavirus policy and has garnered the minimum threshold of 72 MEP signatures required to trigger the debate and vote. It is supported by MEPs from several right-wing and far-right groups and some members of von der Leyen’s erstwhile allied political groups.
Despite the low chances of success, as it requires a two-thirds majority plus a majority of all MEPs (at least 361 votes), the motion is seen as a test of strength for Ursula von der Leyen. If passed, the EU Commission would have to resign en masse.
In the 2019 election, the Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen received 370 out of 688 votes cast. However, no further information is available about the decision to be made regarding the vote of no-confidence.
Parliament President Roberta Metsola has informed party leaders about the upcoming vote. The motion requires the support of at least one tenth of the 720 MEPs, as per the rules. The motion also criticises the EU Commission for the alleged unused coronavirus vaccines worth around four billion euros in doses and the alleged exertion of influence on elections in member states such as Romania and Germany through a distorted application of the law on digital services.
The withholding of the information about the SMS messages exchanged between von der Leyen and the head of the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer during the corona crisis was recently ruled by the EU court to have been done without sufficient legal justification.
No information is provided about any special honour received by Ursula von der Leyen in Aachen.
- The no-confidence motion against Ursula von der Leyen's EU Commission is not only focused on her coronavirus policy-and-legislation and politics but also includes allegations of financial irregularities and judicial undermining due to the refusal to disclose secret SMS messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.
- The debate and vote on the motion of no-confidence against Ursula von der Leyen's EU Commission, instigated by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, has garnered general-news coverage due to the allegations of mismanagement, green policy promotion, and contention over the withholding of SMS messages, which the EU Court of Justice has ruled should be disclosed.
