European Commission President von der Leyen faces a vote of no confidence over Pfizergate
Kyiv • UNN
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces a vote of no confidence over "Pfizergate" and other accusations. Far-right MEPs are trying to initiate a vote, but the chances of success are low due to the need for majority support.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a vote of no confidence over a Covid-19 pandemic scandal that threatens to derail her political agenda for a second term, the Financial Times reports, UNN writes.
Details
Far-right lawmakers in the European Parliament claim they have secured enough support for their proposal to dismiss the European Commission after the EU court ruled against her handling of personal messages with the pharmaceutical company's CEO.
Although von der Leyen is likely to survive the vote, which could take place next month, it could force her to make more compromises with both the left and the right to secure their support, the publication writes.
Romanian far-right MEP Gheorghe Pîrperă told the Financial Times that he would submit the proposal on Thursday after collecting more than the required 72 signatures.
"The initiative is essentially about supporting transparency and ensuring a fair and genuine democratic process," he said.
Although the threshold for launching a vote of no confidence is low, it would take the presence of more than two-thirds of the members of the European Parliament to overthrow von der Leyen and her European Commission. The Assembly has 720 members, and 401 voted for her as President a year ago, although she has alienated some of them since then, the publication notes.
Pîrperă claimed that some members of von der Leyen's own center-right European People's Party (EPP) support his initiative. However, he admitted that the chances of its success are slim, but said it offers an "important opportunity for constructive and reasoned criticism of President von der Leyen."
"This obliges the European Commission to consider concerns and provide justifications," he pointed out.
Pîrperă's submission is based on the so-called Pfizergate court case against von der Leyen, but also criticizes her treatment of the European Parliament - a complaint shared by centrist and left-wing MEPs who argue that she often bypasses the bloc's only directly elected institution and is too accommodating to EU governments.
In May, the EU court ruled against the European Commission in a dispute over the publication of text messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during negotiations on the supply of Covid vaccines in 2021.
The New York Times filed a case after von der Leyen's team refused to disclose the messages. The court rejected the European Commission's argument that it could not find them and "violated the principle of sound administration."
"The court found the European Commission's refusal legally unfounded and lacking a compelling justification," Pîrperă said. "These actions demonstrate a tendency of institutional overreach, democratic disregard and undermining public confidence in the Union's governance."
Progressive MEPs opened a new front last week when the European Commission announced its intention to withdraw a law banning so-called greenwashing - unsubstantiated environmental claims by companies - just days before the European Parliament and member states sought to reach a final agreement on it.
This law has become another lightning rod for anti-green sentiment in the bloc, which is being promoted by von der Leyen's own center-right political group, the publication writes.
The Socialists, the second largest faction in the European Parliament, and the liberal Renew party, which ranks fifth, wrote a joint letter on Wednesday to European Parliament President Roberta Metsola asking her to raise the issue with von der Leyen and EU leaders at the summit on Thursday.
They argued that the European Parliament needs "proper consultation in accordance with the principle of sincere cooperation" whenever a law is repealed. "We also believe that the responsible European Commissioners should be summoned to the relevant committees to explain their intentions," the letter said.
The "Greens", who supported von der Leyen, also criticized the move.
Some EU capitals have also expressed disagreement, arguing that the last-minute exit undermines confidence in EU legislation, according to diplomats close to the negotiations.
Teresa Ribera, Vice-President of the European Commission, who is responsible for environmental issues, told the FT: "I hope that these turbulent days will be clarified as soon as possible and that we will be able to reach a consensus."
Separately, members of the Legal Affairs Committee voted on Wednesday to ask Metsola to sue the European Commission for circumventing the European Parliament when it decided to issue more debt obligations to fuel the bloc's rearmament.
Pîrperă's proposal also mentions this alleged "procedural abuse". He "calls on the European Commission to resign due to repeated failures to ensure transparency, persistent disregard for democratic control and the rule of law in the Union."
Addition
Votes of no confidence are rare, but can have serious consequences. In 1999, Jacques Santer's team resigned over allegations of fraud and lack of transparency even after receiving a vote of confidence. There have been only four such cases since then, and none have been successful.
