EU Commission president slams no-confidence motion as attempt to undermine democracy

BRUSSELS

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday denounced a no-confidence motion against her as an attempt to "destabilize the EU" ahead of a key vote in the European Parliament.

The motion, initiated by Romanian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Gheorghe Piperea and backed mostly by far-right lawmakers, accuses von der Leyen of failing to show transparency due to her refusal to turn over text exchanges she had with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during negotiations for COVID-19 vaccine contracts during the pandemic.

During his speech, Piperea accused the commission of abusing its powers, centralizing decision-making in the hands of its president and undermining democratic principles such as checks and balances.

Ahead of Thursday's vote in Strasbourg, von der Leyen told the European Parliament that the motion was "taken from the oldest playbook of extremists," aimed at "polarizing society and eroding trust in democracy."

"There is no proof that they have any answers, but there is ample proof that many are supported by our enemies and by their puppet masters in Russia or elsewhere," she said. "We can never let extremists rewrite history."

Rejecting the claims as "false" and "conspiracies," she defended the pandemic response.

"Contract negotiations were conducted by the commission and member states together...There were no secrets, no hidden clauses, no obligation to buy for member states."

"All 27 member states decided to buy vaccines on their own will, so any claims that any member state did not know about the contracts, about the prices or the amounts, is dishonest. In fact, let's call it by its name. It is simply a lie," she added.

Von der Leyen was interrupted several times during her speech, prompting European Parliament President Roberta Metsola to call for order.

Divisions among groups

The motion is expected to fail due to limited mainstream support. The European People's Party (EPP) firmly backed von der Leyen.

Iratxe García Perez, president of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group in the European Parliament, rejected the motion, saying it is led by the far right and won't get their support because they refuse to back those who “want to destroy the EU."

Valerie Hayer, president of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, while critical of von der Leyen, said her group would vote against the motion.

"Don't take anything for granted," she warned, urging the commission to "get a grip" and increase transparency.

The Greens called the motion a "political show" by the far right but did not clarify their vote.

The Left group criticized von der Leyen's politics, saying "they have enabled the right wing's theater and made democracy look ridiculous."

Within the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, co-chair Nicola Procaccini distanced most of the group, noting that two-thirds of ECR lawmakers did not sign on to the measure.

Meanwhile, the Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations (ESN) group backed the motion, with an ESN member saying that "on Thursday, we shall be sending you to your undeserved retirement."