Historic Showdown: EU Commission faces two no-confidence motions

Two months after a no-confidence motion against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen failed in the European Parliament, the Left group has once again submitted such a motion against the Commission. The group said it aimed to bring about “a progressive policy shift,” explained Martin Schirdewan, co-chair of the Left group in the Parliament. The Commission’s policies had caused “serious social and economic consequences for the EU,” according to a statement.

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As examples, the Left cited the trade deal with the United States concluded in July, high defense spending, cuts to social benefits, and the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. “This policy divides our society and undermines democracy,” Schirdewan stressed.

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This no-confidence motion was presented within hours of that posted by the far-right group Patriots for Europe. Group leader Jordan Bardella declared he had enough votes to submit such a motion. Bardella likewise pointed to the customs agreement with the United States as the reason for his initiative. The Parliament will likely debate and vote on both motions at the beginning of October. It will be the first time in the history of the chamber that two attempts to topple the Commission are heard in the same week.

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The Parliament’s presidency must now examine the motions and decide whether they will be put to a vote. The no-confidence procedure is set out in Article 234 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). To table a motion, its initiators must secure the support of ten percent of the 720 members. For the motion to pass, however, a two-thirds majority is required.

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No no-confidence motion in the European Parliament has ever come close to achieving such a majority. The only successful attempt to remove a Commission never went to a vote. In March 1999, Commission President Jacques Santer pre-empted the outcome by resigning with the entire Commission.

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In the July motion, 175 members voted in favor of removing von der Leyen. That motion was initiated by Romanian lawmaker Gheorghe Piperea of the right-wing European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). He criticized the Commission President particularly for a lack of transparency in vaccine procurement during the coronavirus pandemic.

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