Von der Leyen survives two motions of no confidence

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, survived two motions of censure on Thursday, as expected: one from the left, one from the right. In Strasbourg, MEPs voted on their confidence in the Commission.

One motion was from the radical right-wing Patriots for Europe faction, which includes the PVV and Vlaams Belang. MEP Jordan Bardella of the French Rassemblement National submitted the motion because of the trade deal with the United States and the Mercosur Treaty. 179 MEPs voted in favor, 378 against.

The motion from the left-wing parliamentary group, of which the Party for the Animals is part, received even less support. This focused on the Commission’s Gaza position and the lack of action against Israel.

‘Strong support’

It was already clear that the Commission’s continued existence was not threatened. A two-thirds majority would have been needed to dismiss the Commission. On Monday, MEPs debated the motions, when it became apparent that the Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens, just like the Christian Democrats, would not provide support. These four together have a majority in the European Parliament.

Support for the motions of no confidence has hardly increased compared to July. The European Parliament also held a confidence vote at that time, with 175 parliamentarians voting in favor at the time.

Von der Leyen responded quickly after the vote on Thursday, and wrote on X to greatly appreciate the “strong support” from Parliament. She also promises that her Commission will continue to work closely with the European Parliament. MEPs are critical of Von der Leyen’s often solitary actions and her lack of transparency. According to the left, she is diluting European climate ambitions, and according to the right, she is not doing enough to exempt companies from European rules.

Expression of dissatisfaction

Even though there is no majority in favor, the simple fact that three motions of no confidence were voted on within three months is unique and a clear expression of dissatisfaction. Such a motion is a lot more exceptional in an EU context than, for example, in the Dutch parliament, where 97 motions of no confidence and 33 of censure were submitted during the four cabinets of former Prime Minister Mark Rutte (2010-2024).

MEPs cannot dismiss a single European Commissioner: it is the entire Commission, or no one. That has never happened before. The European Commission itself resigned once before the end of its mandate. In 1999, under President Jacques Santer, the European Commissioners concluded that their position was no longer tenable after an independent investigation in which French European Commissioner Édith Cresson was accused of cronyism.

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