EU chief von der Leyen survives two no-confidence votes

Reuters
Reuters

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has survived two attempts to remove her from office after the European Parliament rejected no-confidence motions from hard-right and left-wing groups on Thursday.

The far-right Patriots for Europe, led by Jordan Bardella, accused von der Leyen of surrendering to Washington on trade, pursuing “senseless enlargements,” and failing on migration policy. That motion was rejected, with 378 EU lawmakers voting against it and 179 in favour.

A second motion of censure, proposed by the Parliament's hard-left group, criticised von der Leyen’s handling of Latin American trade, the Green Deal, and migration. It was rejected with 383 EU lawmakers voting against it and 133 in favour.

These recent motions come just three months after the last no-confidence vote in July, signalling a fragmented Parliament and fragile trust between the Commission and centrist parties.

Von der Leyen accused her opponents of fuelling divisions instead of strengthening the Union.

Although the motions of censure had little chance of reaching the two-thirds majority required to unseat her, some lawmakers said they could reveal broader unease over her leadership and risk destabilising the EU assembly, whose backing is needed to pass legislation.

Tags