European Parliament to vote next week on toppling von der Leyen’s Commission

The European Parliament is group to statement and ballot adjacent week connected a “motion of censure”, a no-confidence ballot against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her College of Commissioners.

Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, from nan ultra-conservative statement AUR, claims he has collected 73 signatures for his motion—one much than one-in-ten minimum period of MEPs (72) required to initiate nan process.

According to Piperea’s office, 32 members of his governmental group, nan European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), person backed nan request. The remaining signatures came from nan far-right groups Patriots for Europe (6), Europe of Sovereign Nations (26), and from non-attached MEPs.

The MEPs’ signatures are now being verified and validated by nan Parliament’s services, according to soul sources.

Once nan validation process is complete, President Roberta Metsola will formally pass MEPs that a mobility of censure has been tabled.

A plenary statement connected nan petition for resignation must past beryllium scheduled astatine slightest 24 hours aft nan announcement, and a ballot connected nan matter must return spot astatine slightest 48 hours aft nan commencement of nan debate.

Parliamentary sources told Euronews the debate could beryllium held connected Tuesday, 8 July, pinch nan ballot pursuing connected Thursday, 10 July, provided that President Metsola announces nan mobility by nan extremity of this week.

However, immoderate signing MEP tin retreat their support for nan mobility astatine immoderate time. If nan one-tenth period is nary longer met, nan process is halted.

At slightest two-thirds of nan votes formed representing a mostly of each MEPs would request to backmost nan mobility of censure for it to beryllium adopted.

A low-chance mobility of censure

This peculiar mobility has very small chance of being approved, arsenic moreover nan MEP proposing it has acknowledged in an question and reply pinch Euronews.

“There will beryllium a ballot against nan motion: I'm judge of this, because nan mostly is still location pinch von der Leyen. And moreover if successful this mostly location is simply a batch of discontent against von der Leyen, for nan infinitesimal they will not unit her to resign,” Piperea said.

However, nan Romanian MEP hopes nan inaugural could “open a Pandora’s box", encouraging further motions of censure successful nan months ahead. “It is important that we person this antiauthoritarian process, successful bid to unit this benignant of debate. Even if my mobility will not succeed, location will astir apt be others successful nan early which will beryllium successful," he said.

The mobility of censure rests connected 3 main accusations, nan first relates to matter messages exchanged betwixt Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during COVID-19 vaccine negotiations.

“The EU Court of Justice successful Luxemburg stated that nan European Commission should disclose those SMS [...] The European Commission rejected nan request. It's astir separation of powerfulness successful a democracy: if you cannot judge a determination of justice, this intends breaking nan norm of law,” Piperea claims. 

Other accusations see alleged misspending of post-COVID costs and an alleged effort by nan European Commission to beforehand its greenish policies by financing NGOs to lobby MEPs, some denied by nan Commission.