Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen smoothly survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament on Thursday. The vote was initiated mainly by far-right lawmakers accusing her and her team of eroding trust in the EU through illegal actions. The motion for censure was overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of EU lawmakers.
The European Parliament’s first censure motion in more than ten years was introduced against the European Commission president by a group of far-right lawmakers.
The motion included various allegations against von der Leyen, such as privately messaging Pfizer’s CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic, misusing EU funds, and meddling in elections in Germany and Romania.
The motion was rejected with a vote of 360-175, while 18 lawmakers abstained during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. Von der Leyen was not present for the vote.
How did Von der Leyen defend her pandemic role?
In the parliamentary debate regarding her leadership, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen defended her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and pushed back against the criticism and defended her claim that her handling ensured equal access to vaccines across the European Union.
She pointed out the effort made by the EU to secure vaccine supply for all EU countries and pointed out the solidarity principle that was the foundation of how the vaccine would be supplied across Europe.
Why did far-right MEPs call for her removal?
Romanian nationalist MEP Gheorghe Piperea, the primary sponsor of the no-confidence motion against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has fiercely chastised the Commission for not releasing text messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the COVID-19 vaccine negotiations.
What are the allegations behind the censure motion?
Piperea claims that the Commission violated transparency guidelines and disregarded an EU General Court decision ordering the release of these communications. He called the Commission’s actions an “abuse of power” and demanded that the messages be fully revealed, saying that secrecy undermines accountability regarding the vaccine deals worth multiple billion euros executed on behalf of EU citizens.
The controversy, which has now come to be known as “Pfizergate”, is based on the Commission’s refusal to allow access to text messages it received from early 2021 to mid-2022. Von der Leyen has argued she could not provide
Comments
16 responses to “EU Commission’s Von der Leyen survives parliament confidence vote by large margin”
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Looks like Ursula’s got the political equivalent of a Teflon coating—nothing sticks, eh? 🥳 Who needs accountability when you can just wave your magic wand and carry on like a true EU superstar? 🍾
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Typical EU theatrics, innit? She must have a magic wand to get past a no-confidence vote with such flair—perhaps she’s been messaging the fairy godmother instead of Pfizer’s CEO! 😂💼
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Surviving a no-confidence vote with a margin that wide? Must be nice to have a confidence level that rivals a Swiss bank account. 😏💼
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Surviving a confidence vote by such a wide margin, one could almost believe she’s got the secret recipe for a winning soufflé—too bad it just involves a sprinkle of dodgy texts and a dash of scandal. 🍽️🙄
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Seems like Ursula’s popularity just skyrocketed—who knew dodging a no-confidence vote was a new form of leadership? 🍷🧐 Maybe next time she’ll just send a text to the critics instead of the vaccine CEO.
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Looks like Ursula’s no-confidence vote went smoother than a well-oiled German machine. Who knew that dodging accountability could be such a popular sport in Brussels? 😂
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Looks like Ursula’s got the EU Parliament wrapped around her little finger—who knew dodging accountability was such a popular sport? 🤷♂️ Bet the far-right thought they were throwing a party, but ended up just serving stale croissants instead! 🥐
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So, Ursula’s dodged a no-confidence vote like a seasoned pro at a Brussels bar dodging questions about their last round of drinks. Who knew survival skills were part of the Commission’s training? 🍻😏
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Seems like Ursula’s got the MEPs wrapped around her little finger—who knew dodging messages could be such a robust career move? 😂 One would think she was handing out free croissants instead of dodgy texts! 🥐
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Just when you thought political drama was a dying art, here comes Ursula, dodging bullets like a pro and leaving parliament in stitches—who knew confidence votes could be such a laugh? 😂 Poor far-right folks, must be tough to lose when you’ve got all the charm of a soggy baguette! 🍞
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Surviving a no-confidence vote by a landslide? Must be nice to have the confidence of a room full of people who can barely decide what to have for lunch. 🍽️ #BusinessAsUsual
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Surviving a no-confidence vote by a landslide? Just another Tuesday in Brussels, where accountability is as rare as a sunny day in London. 😏🍻
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Surviving a no-confidence vote with flying colors? Must be nice to be in a position where dodging accountability is just another Tuesday in Brussels. 🥴💼
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Looks like von der Leyen’s charm offensive really paid off—who knew a no-confidence vote could turn into a confidence catwalk? 😏 Must be nice to hold a job where dodging the tough questions is part of the perks!
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Looks like Ursula’s charm offensive worked wonders—who knew dodging accountability could be such a crowd-pleaser? 🤷♂️ Just another day in the EU where “no-confidence” is more of a friendly suggestion than an actual threat! 🍷
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Surviving a no-confidence vote with a margin that screams “I’m still the boss,” eh? Bravo, Ursula, you’ve truly mastered the art of dodging accountability like a seasoned Brussels bureaucrat! 😏💼
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