BRUSSELS (Realist English). European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a formal no-confidence motion in the European Parliament, as pressure mounts over her handling of Covid-era vaccine negotiations and growing criticism of her leadership style from both flanks of the political spectrum.
The motion, expected to be tabled this week by Romanian far-right MEP Gheorghe Piperea, follows a European court ruling in May that found the Commission had violated good governance rules by refusing to publish text messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during vaccine procurement talks in 2021. The General Court said the Commission’s argument — that it could not locate the messages — lacked credibility and breached the principle of transparency.
Piperea told the Financial Times he had gathered over the required 72 signatures to initiate the vote. While von der Leyen is widely expected to survive the challenge, which would require a two-thirds majority of voting MEPs to succeed, the episode has already weakened her political capital ahead of a possible second term.
“This is about restoring transparency and defending democratic accountability,” said Piperea. “The Commission must answer for repeated institutional overreach and disregard for parliament.”
The vote, which could take place next month, comes amid mounting frustration over von der Leyen’s bypass of parliamentary scrutiny, including from members of her own political group, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP). No-confidence votes in Brussels are rare — only four have been tabled since the EU’s founding — but they can have lasting consequences. In 1999, the Santer Commission resigned en masse despite surviving a confidence vote over fraud allegations.
Vaccine controversy and beyond
Dubbed “Pfizergate,” the legal dispute over undisclosed communications during Covid-19 vaccine negotiations has reignited longstanding concerns over lack of transparency at the Commission’s highest levels. The lawsuit was brought by The New York Times, which challenged the EU’s refusal to disclose the messages under freedom-of-information rules.
Piperea’s motion also cites recent accusations that the Commission sidestepped parliamentary authority when it decided to raise debt for European defence spending without legislative oversight.
Last week, tensions flared further after the Commission announced plans to withdraw a long-negotiated law targeting “greenwashing” — misleading environmental claims by corporations — just days before it was set for final approval by the European Parliament and member states. Critics from the Socialist & Democrat (S&D) group and the centrist Renew Europe bloc accused von der Leyen of caving to political pressure from within her own EPP.
In a joint letter to Parliament President Roberta Metsola, the two groups demanded urgent clarification, insisting that the executive must respect the principle of “sincere cooperation” with lawmakers. The Greens, who had previously supported von der Leyen’s presidency, have also voiced strong opposition to the law’s withdrawal.
Divisions in Brussels
The backlash is spreading beyond parliament. Several EU member states have privately criticized the Commission’s move on the greenwashing bill, calling it a blow to the credibility of EU lawmaking, according to diplomats familiar with the negotiations.
Commission Vice-President for the Green Deal Teresa Ribera acknowledged the tensions, telling the Financial Times:
“I hope these messy days can be clarified quickly and we can reach consensus.”
Meanwhile, the Parliament’s legal affairs committee voted on Wednesday to ask Metsola to consider legal action against the Commission over its unilateral debt issuance for defence — another move perceived as circumventing the bloc’s only directly elected institution.
Piperea’s motion references all of these issues, demanding the Commission’s resignation for “persistent disregard for democratic oversight, transparency, and the rule of law.”
A spokesperson for the European Parliament declined to comment.
While von der Leyen is unlikely to be removed, the no-confidence motion marks a turning point in her presidency. Once a symbol of unity during the pandemic, she is now accused of overreach by the very parliament that once narrowly confirmed her. Whether or not the motion succeeds, it forces a reckoning over the balance of power between the EU executive and its legislature — and could reshape the political calculus ahead of the 2024 European elections.
