EU chief Ursula von der Leyen survives no-confidence votes

Brussels: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday survived two vote of no-confidence motions as centrist parties backed her presidency. The motions, filed by the far-right and the far-left groups in the European Parliament, were debated on Monday and voted on Thursday.

The EU chief thanked the lawmakers for the support and said that the commission will keep working with the European parliament to tackle challenges faced by Europe. The motion filed by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) received 378 votes against, 179 votes in support and 37 abstentions while the motion filed by The Left received 383 votes against, 133 in support and 78 abstentions, Euro News reported.

In a statement shared on social media platform X, Ursula von der Leyen stated, “I deeply appreciate the strong support received today. The Commission will keep working closely with the European Parliament to tackle Europe’s challenges. And together deliver results for all European citizens. United for our people, our values and our future.”

The lawmakers who offered support to Von der Leyen were slightly more than those in July, when she faced her first vote of no-confidence. European Commission President, who was not in Strasbourg on Thursday, survived two motions of censure so comfortably showcases growing tensions among pro-European forces, who have complained regarding trivialisation of the right to initiate no-confidence motion, Euro News reported.

The two bids have one common thread which is criticism over the European Union-US trade deal and unfavourable terms it has placed on European exporters. The agreement, which includes non-binding commitment to spend €750 billion on US-made energy and invest €600 billion in the US market, faces intense criticism from all sections of the political spectrum.

In a recent poll, 52 per cent of respondents have termed the deal a “humiliation” for Europe. Ursula von der Leyen has acknowledged that the deal is “imperfect.” However, she stressed that it is “solid” enough to deal with the commercial turmoil unleashed by US President Donald Trump.

PfE and The Left, which tabled the motion against Ursula von der Leyen, have expressed concerns about the damaging impact of EU-Mercosur free trade deal on European farmers. The EU-Mercosur free trade deal was concluded by Ursula von der Leyen in December last year and whose legal texts are now up for adoption. They also slammed von der Leyen’s lack of transparency.

The two parties, however, have different views on other issues. The Patriots have concerns about EU Commission’s handling of irregular migration and “misguided” green policies while The Left slammed its “failure” to tackle climate and social crisis and Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Earlier in July, 360 votes were against Ursula von der Leyen’s dismissal, 175 in favour and 18 abstentions. However, the back-to-back motions indicates the political polarisation von der Leyen faces during her second mandate. During the debate in July, she slammed her critics, calling them “Russian puppets”. However, she offered to reset her ties with the parliament and resolve the differences in her centrist coalition.

IANS