Von der Leyen up against probable no confidence vote
(MENAFN) A group of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) claims to have gathered enough support to launch a no-confidence vote against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, citing her lack of transparency in a COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer, the Financial Times has reported.
The controversy centers on a multi-billion-dollar agreement negotiated with Pfizer, which allegedly involved direct text communications between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. In May, the EU’s Court of Justice ruled that the Commission unlawfully denied the New York Times access to those messages. The court rejected the Commission's claim that it did not possess the texts, ordering officials to explain why the records were not preserved.
Although the Commission pledged to provide more detailed reasoning for withholding the texts, it has not committed to making them public.
Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea told the FT he intends to file a motion for a no-confidence vote on Thursday, having collected the required 72 signatures. He accused von der Leyen of ignoring democratic oversight and called for the Commission’s resignation, citing repeated failures to ensure transparency and uphold EU legal standards.
According to Piperea, von der Leyen’s refusal to disclose the Pfizer communications reflects a broader “pattern of institutional overreach” and a weakening of public trust in EU governance.
To succeed, the motion must be backed by two-thirds of MEPs present at the vote. Despite gaining some support from within von der Leyen’s own European People’s Party, Piperea acknowledged that removing her from office remains unlikely. Still, he argued that the initiative is a critical opportunity to press the Commission for accountability and answers.
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