The motion was submitted by the extremely right -wing MEP Gheorghe Piperea from Romania. He wants to send the chairman of the European Commission home because of the non-release of her SMS traffic with Pfizer boss Albert Bourla about the purchase of coronavaccins during the pace of the pandemic.
Pfizergate continues to chase Von der Leyen. Among other things, she was hit by the European Ombudsman and the European Court of Auditors. Recently, the European judge, filed in a case by the American newspaper The New York Times, ruled that the European Commission should have given access.
But Brussels maintains that those SMS messages do not even have to be saved and appeals.
First trust mood since 2014 in European Parliament
The European Parliament will vote on the motion of no confidence on Thursday, but it is expected that the motion will not make it.
Pfizergate: Von der Leyen kept secret SMS traffic with vaccine boss wrongly behind
It is the first time since 2014 that the European Parliament has a vote again. At the time, the European Commission survived the mood with ease.
Support from center parties, but what do they demand in return?
A motion of no confidence is a very heavy political weapon: European Parliamentarians cannot send an individual European Commissioner home, but only cancel trust in the entire European Commission. A two -thirds majority is required to accept the motion.
The expectation is that Von der Leyen will enjoy her own Christian Democrats and the Liberals on Thursday. The Social Democrats seem to want something back in exchange for support.
Strict migration policy and knife in plans for Green Deal
Within the left flank of the European Parliament, there is increasing dissatisfaction with the course of Von der Leyen. She not only comes with plans for a strict migration policy, the Christian Democrat also puts the knife in Green Deal of former ‘Climate Pause’ Frans Timmermans.
Moreover, the Christian Democrats regularly look for a political majority in the European Parliament. This to the reluctance of the Social Democrats, Liberals and Groenen. They have introduced a cordon sanitaire – a political blockade – against everything that is to the right of the Christian Democrats.