President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament before the summer break, but it appears that she is returning to face more in short order, EuroNews reported.
The Left and Patriots for Europe groups are working on two different motions of censure to topple the European Commission, to be tabled in the next weeks, as soon as the minimum threshold of signatures is reached.
Each motion of censure needs the signature of at least 72 members of the Parliament (one tenth of the total number) to be put to the vote in the plenary session, as per EuroNews.
Once the signatures have been verified and validated by the Parliament’s services, the body’s president must immediately inform lawmakers, under the Parliament’s rules, and a plenary debate on the request for resignation must be scheduled at least 24 hours after the announcement.
Ursula von der Leyen was the first woman to become President of the European Commission in 2019. She was elected for a second mandate by the European Parliament in July 2024.
The Left group’s spokesperson, Thomas Shannon, said on Friday (local time) that the group’s motion of censure is “well under way”. The group unanimously supports the no-confidence vote, as it is at odds with von der Leyen’s policies on every level, he told Euronews. “The Commission is going against everything that we stand for, by sacrificing workers and destroying the Green Deal.”
The group comprises 46 Members of European Parliament (MEPs), meaning it needs 26 more signatures to reach the minimum mark. In principle, the Left will not ask for support from the far-right Patriots for Europe or European Conservatives and Reformists, which, for their part, are not interested in backing any leftist initiative.
The far-right political force – which includes France’s National Rally, Hungary’s Fidesz, and Italy’s The League – has been planning on a new motion of censure since before the summer break, having voted in favour of the one tabled in July, EuroNews reported.
