Fresh no-confidence votes stalk EU's Ursula von der Leyen

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 too more in short order.

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. 

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.

The Left attacks von der Leyen

The Left group’s spokesperson Thomas Shannon said on Friday that the groups' 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.”

According to internal sources, the EU's inaction on Gaza and the deal signed with Mercosur are other reasons for discontent for the Left, which is formed by parties like France Unbowed, Spain's Podemos, and Italy's Five Star Movement.

The group comprises 46 MEPs, meaning it needs 26 more signatures to reach the threshold. On 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 missing signatures would need to come from the Socialists (S&D) and democrats, Renew Europe, or Greens/EFA. All these groups’ spokespersons underlined during a briefing on Friday that discussing a motion of censure every two months is not the ideal scenario for the European Parliament.

However, it is easier to convince single MEPs than entire groups, Parliament’s sources told Euronews.

Indeed, some Greens MEPs have already joined the motion of censure. The Italian Green delegation, formed by 4 MEPs, will sign and vote for the no-confidence motion, and is also working to get others in the group to back it, lawmaker Leoluca Orlando said during a briefing.

Other sources from the Greens told Euronews that this motion of censure will be taken into consideration, but only after the State of the Union speech by von der Leyen next Wednesday in Strasbourg's Parliament, which will outline the Commission’s political priorities. 

Patriots will soon try to topple von der Leyen

On the other side of the hemicycle, the Patriots for Europe group (PfE) is also cooking a similar plan. 

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.

PfE’s spokesperson Alonso de Mendoza gave no timeline during the Parliament’s press briefing, but according to internal sources, its motion of censure could be presented very soon. 

Indeed, Patriots do not need help from other groups to table a no-confidence vote. If all their 85 members sign the initiative, the threshold is reached, and the vote has to take place.

According to Parliament’s rules, if a motion of censure has been voted on in the preceding two months, any new one must be tabled by a greater number of MEPs, equal to at least one-fifth of the total number.

This means that the Left and PfE will probably compete to put forward their own motion before the other. The first to come could bring it to the vote already in October: the Parliament’s president must announce a motion of censure immediately after she receives it, and the debate and vote should be scheduled in the same plenary session. 

While tabling a motion of censure is relatively easy, toppling the European Commission in a Parliamentary vote is trickier. The motion of censure is adopted only with a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, representing a majority of the members of Parliament. Last time, only 175 MEPs voted in favour, far from reaching the minimum number.

Far-right and leftist parties may dislike von der Leyen’s Commission for different reasons, but they have to join forces to remove her from power.