Ursula von der Leyen faces double vote of no confidence in the EU Parliament

Strasbourg. This has never happened before in the history of the European Parliament: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will likely have to face two motions of no confidence at the next plenary session. Both the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) and the Left Party have reportedly found enough support to have one motion each placed on the agenda. This requires 72 signatures from MEPs. The next session of the Parliament is scheduled for October.

"This Commission and its President have failed in the areas of peace, trade, competitiveness, and migration," said PfE Vice President Kinga Gál. She specifically criticized the EU free trade agreement with the Mercosur states and the recent trade deal with the US. The Left Party accuses von der Leyen of "capitulating in the trade dispute" and of not taking decisive enough action against the Israeli government and possible violations of international law in the Gaza Strip.

Left Party leader Martin Schirdewan told the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) that he is counting on support from the ranks of the Social Democrats, the Greens, and the Liberals. "Ms. von der Leyen no longer has the majority behind her that once elected her." The fact that far-right MPs could also vote for the Left Party's motion of no confidence to bring down the Commission should not deter him. "We are campaigning for the votes of all those who want a change in policy." And that bringing down the Commission would likely result in chaos and uncertainty? "It's worth it," Schirdewan said, "because this Commission is failing to meet the challenges of our time."

The hurdle for submitting a motion of no confidence in the European Parliament is comparatively low: 72 signatures correspond to ten percent of the 720 members of parliament. By comparison, the threshold in the German Bundestag is 25 percent. However, for a motion to actually succeed, two-thirds of the members of parliament would have to approve it. The consequence would be the downfall of the entire EU Commission: Von der Leyen and all commissioners would have to resign. After that, a lengthy process would begin: The member states and the Parliament would have to agree on a new Commission leadership, propose candidates for the portfolios, hold hearings, and confirm all positions.

However, there is currently no sign of a majority in Parliament in favor of ousting the Commission. The major pro-European groups, the EPP, S&D, Renew, and the Greens, are unlikely to support any of the motions. Far-right MPs had already initiated a vote of no confidence against von der Leyen in July, but failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority. At that time, it was primarily AfD MPs from Germany who wanted to oust von der Leyen.