Vocal dissociation: the EP did not support the resolution against von der Leyen
On July 10, the European Parliament rejected a vote of no confidence in the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The lack of consensus on this issue does not mean that the deputies will not try to hold a vote again or submit it to other EC members, Izvestia found out. 360 out of 553 deputies opposed the removal of the head of the EC, but the lobbyists of the vote claim that they received more votes in support than they could even imagine. Is it worth waiting for a split in the European Parliament and how dissatisfaction with the policy of the head of the EC will affect the work of European authorities — in the Izvestia article.
Voting on Ursula von der Leyen
A vote of no confidence in the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was supported by a third of the MEPs. To dismiss her, it was necessary to get two-thirds of the votes. 360 out of 553 deputies voted against it.
At the same time, supporters of the vote of no confidence, as reported in the media, hoped to gather support of a maximum of 15-20%, and the result indicates that the level of dissatisfaction with the work of the European Commission is actually higher than predicted. Ursula von der Leyen herself blamed "external forces" for the vote in the European Parliament. "When external forces want to destabilize and divide us, it is our duty to respond in accordance with our values," she wrote on her social media.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (right) and Jean-Claude Juncker
The last time they tried to pass a vote of no confidence in the head of the European Commission was more than 10 years ago. In 2014, EC President Jean-Claude Juncker faced this after only a month in office. He was accused of unjustifiably providing large tax breaks to Apple, IKEA and Pepsi companies during the period when he was Prime Minister of Luxembourg.
The current head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is suspected of having a corrupt connection with Pfizer, from which the EU purchased vaccines against COVID-19. According to the prosecution, Europe could allegedly limit itself to fewer vaccines than were purchased, the head of the European Commission discussed the details of the deal with the management of pharmaceutical companies in personal correspondence.
"The atmosphere of secrecy is striking: participants were not allowed to take notes or bring their mobile phones into the meeting room with the head of this seemingly open structure. The organization of the event was kept secret even from other lawmakers from the relevant committee of the European Parliament. Probably, there was something to hide from the public, which was stuffed with an American vaccine," Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, noted in a column for Izvestia in 2023, commenting on the corruption scandal related to COVID-19 vaccines.
It is noteworthy that on the same day when the MEPs were deciding the future of Ursula von der Leyen, the politician ordered the allocation of another tranche of macro-financial assistance to Kiev in the amount of € 1 billion. The head of the European Commission said that the EU remains the largest donor to Ukraine, having provided it with almost €165 billion since 2022.
How to pass a vote of no confidence in the European Parliament
The fact that MEPs have failed to pass a vote of no confidence now does not mean that such an attempt will not be made in the near future. In addition, other EU leaders have something to worry about, Izvestia found out.
"In the future, new attempts to initiate a vote of no confidence cannot be ruled out, especially if concerns about governance, transparency or ethical issues persist," Tomasz Zdechowski, a member of the European Parliament, told Izvestia. — Although a collective vote of no confidence is directed against the entire European Commission, individual members can also be held accountable through various mechanisms, including hearings, calls for resignation, or pressure from political groups and national governments. However, this rarely happens and is politically sensitive, so it requires significant consensus in Parliament.
A vote of no confidence is always passed by the entire European Commission, not just its head, since all decisions in the body are made collectively. This was stated to Izvestia by the Luxembourg MEP Fernand Kartheiser. The politician was one of those who supported the decision to declare a vote of Ursula von der Leyen.
— Since the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas, is also a member of the current composition of the commission, the vote is also taking place in relation to her. Another attempt is possible. However, if the vote is passed within two months of the current vote, it will require the support of at least 20% of parliamentarians. It should also be noted that a vote of no confidence must be passed by a two-thirds majority. In practice, this means that it is very difficult to accept it," says the European politician.
By the way, the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, has already faced the threat of a vote of no confidence while serving as Prime Minister of Estonia. The attempts were connected, among other things, with the fact that her husband Arvo Hallik kept the business in Russia after the beginning of his career.
Given that right-wing parties have more than a third of the votes and mandates in the European Parliament, the result was quite obvious, political analyst Alexander Rahr believes.
— This is not a split, but just different factions and forces in this parliament. The parliament there was elected by all European nations, by the population of all countries: in some the right won, in others the greens, in others the centrists, in others the leftists. I would say that this parliament looks like a real parliament, where there are opposing factions. And the ultraconservatives, the right-wingers, decided to try to demolish the hated Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen. But the fact that there was such an attempt to distrust her at all is still a blow to her reputation and her power, that is, it shows that she is not indisputably at the top of the European Commission," the expert emphasized in a conversation with Izvestia.
Earlier, the media reported that EU leaders were not satisfied with Ursula von der Leyen's work. Back in May, the Neue Zurcher Zeitung newspaper reported that EU countries that had previously expressed support for the head of the EC are now criticizing her for her fixation on the climate agenda and the weakening of Europe's economy. In addition, some EU representatives accuse von der Leyen of nepotism and lack of political transparency.
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