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STRASBOURG – Members of the European Parliament discussed today the vote of no confidence in the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, with the main reasons cited by participants in the debate being the policy towards the war in Gaza, trade interests with Israel, migration policy, as well as the trade agreement that von der Leyen reached with the US in the context of the EU. The proposal for a vote of no confidence was submitted by the groups Patriots for Europe and the Left, and justifying it, MEP Jordan Bardella from Patriots for Europe stated that the EU has been declining for many years under her presidency, primarily in trade terms. “The signing of Mercosur and the agreement with the US are sad symbols of that decline. You signed a trade surrender of Europe with (US President Donald) Trump. While we are giving up our interests, you have given everything to our competitors, our agricultural goods, jobs, and factories. As for the budget, there is an 86 percent increase in that budget, while our people are praying to tighten their belts,” he said.
Manon Aubry from the Left criticized von der Leyen for sacrificing the decimation of the people in Gaza and the killing of children for trade interests. “You capitulated under the pressure of Donald Trump, you signed a one-way trade agreement and signed the vassalization of the EU. You signed capitulation by signing the agreement with Mercosur and opened the door to dangerous pesticides. For a year, the EC has been moving away from ecology,” Aubry said. She added that hypocrisy is growing, which is why she must leave. “The people are suffering due to austerity measures. You have money for tanks, not for hospitals. 60 percent of Europeans want you to leave. You are pursuing a senseless policy that benefits a small number of people,” she said. EC President Ursula von der Leyen stated that the world is at its most dangerous moment, facing attacks on its airspace, on Ukraine, which is why unity is essential. “We are threatened by an enemy from the east, enemies from within, the world order is disrupted. The goal of unity is not to agree on every detail; we need to keep in mind the broader picture of our common goal, which is the protection of democracy, security, defense capability, strengthening competitiveness, and creating jobs. That is what we should focus on,” she said. At the same time, she urged lawmakers not to fall into the “trap” of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We should carefully listen to his words. He admired what he called the cracks in the construction of Europe and the shaken unity of our union. He does not hide his contempt or support for all his obedient friends who do his job for him,” von der Leyen said, adding that Putin’s efforts are “the oldest trick.”
As she said, Putin uses disinformation to try to “lower the guard” of the European Union and “weaken our resolve and resilience.” “This is a trap, and we simply must not fall into it,” she said. The previous vote of no confidence in Ursula von der Leyen was in July, when the majority of MEPs rejected a similar proposal submitted by the far right at that time. Then, 360 MEPs voted against the no confidence motion, 175 were in favor, while 18 abstained. Out of a total of 720 members of the European Parliament, 553 voted, and 360 votes “in favor” were needed for the proposal to pass. In the event that von der Leyen loses the support of the MEPs, the entire European Commission would have to resign, which would trigger an institutional crisis in the European Union. The vote on the latest no-confidence proposal for the EC will take place on Thursday (October 6).