Von der Leyen faces two censure motions in European Parliament

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will face two motions of censure in the European Parliament next week, after both The Left group and the Patriots for Europe tabled separate challenges to her leadership.

The Left’s motion received an unexpected boost, when the Patriots signaled they would also lend support, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“From the logic of wanting a new Commission, many of us will vote for The Left motion as well,” said Anders Vistisen, a Danish MEP with the Patriots group.

“At this stage, our priority remains our motion,” Patriots First Vice President Kinga Gál told Brussels Signal. “Since the re-election of Ursula von der Leyen, which we did not support, we have been clear: Europeans deserve better.”

According to Parliament’s schedule, a joint debate will be held on October 6, followed by two roll-call votes on October 9. The reception of both motions will be formally announced before the debate with von der Leyen herself.

Under Parliament’s rules, a motion of censure requires the backing of one tenth of MEPs – currently 72 members – to be tabled. Adoption, however, demands a two-thirds majority of votes cast, representing an overall majority of the 719-seat chamber.

On July 10, Parliament rejected a similar censure attempt by 175 votes in favour and 360 against, with 18 abstentions.

Both The Left and the Patriots accuse von der Leyen of weakening the European Union through “a lack of transparency and accountability” in alleged corruption scandals, as well as through recent trade deals and her foreign policy approach. The Left has additionally cited her stance on Gaza and the “watering down of climate rules” as grounds for their motion.

Although the groups have refused to formally back each other, Vistisen suggested the Patriots would support The Left’s initiative once their own motion is voted on.

“Theirs will likely be voted first on Thursday [October 9],” he said. The Left, for its part, confirmed they would not support the “far-right initiative.”

Together, the Patriots, The Left, and the Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group count 158 members – well short of the 479 votes required to topple the Commission. Even if all those MEPs back The Left’s motion, success would depend on a significant defection from centrist groups, which analysts say remains unlikely.

By Sabina Mammadli