BRUSSELS
The European Parliament was sharply divided on Monday as lawmakers debated a motion of censure against the European Commission over a recently signed trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American bloc known as Mercosur.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was notably absent during discussions on the motion, proposed by the far-right Patriots for Europe group, which accused the commission of "bypassing" democratic procedures and "undermining" European farmers by pushing through the long-delayed trade deal with the South American Mercosur bloc.
Von der Leyen’s decision not to attend quickly became a focal point of criticism across several political groups.
Kinga Gal of Patriots for Europe said von der Leyen’s absence showed “contempt” for both the European Parliament and the thousands of farmers protesting across the EU.
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said Brussels remains committed to dialogue with parliament and member states, adding that no decision has yet been made on the agreement's provisional application.
Sefcovic said the commission had introduced “unprecedented” safeguards to protect sensitive sectors, a claim Gal dismissed as “empty.”
Despite broad skepticism toward the Mercosur deal, most mainstream political groups signaled they would oppose the censure motion, arguing it was being used as a “political tool” rather than a genuine accountability mechanism.
Jeroen Lenaers of the center-right European People’s Party (EPP), von der Leyen’s political group, said a motion of censure should not be reduced to “a campaign prop,” warning the EU could not afford institutional instability amid mounting geopolitical and economic pressures.
The Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group also said it would vote against the motion, a position echoed by Renew Europe, which warned that ousting the commission president would weaken the EU’s ability to act cohesively amid rising tensions with the US.
Manon Aubry of the Left accused the commission of “trampling democracy” and criticized von der Leyen’s absence from the debate. “Mrs. von der Leyen has caused too much damage, and she should go. But the extreme right is not the alternative,” she added.
The motion will be put to a vote on Thursday. If adopted, it would force the entire European Commission to resign, although it is widely expected to fail given the balance of power in parliament.
The EU and Mercosur — comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — signed the trade agreement on Saturday in Paraguay after more than two decades of negotiations. The deal must be ratified by the European Parliament before entering into force.