ISTANBUL 

European Parliament's Left group announced on Thursday that they submitted a motion of censure against the European Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen.

"Having collected the necessary minimum of 72 signatures, in the early hours of the morning, The Left tabled its motion of censure against the European Commission and its President Ursula von der Leyen," the group said in a news release.

Insisting that the commission "cannot remain in power," the Left group calls for the resignation of the entire commission due to its "detrimental" trade deals with "no democratic mandate" and failure to act against the Israeli government's systemic violations of international law in Gaza, along with von der Leyen's "egregious failures in transparency and accountability."

"She has refused to take strong sanctions against the genocide in Gaza. She has forced through destructive trade deals such as Mercosur without a democratic mandate. She has imposed austerity and social hardship on the many while serving the few. And she has abandoned the ecological transition in favour of corporate profits. Her time is over. She needs to go," said Manon Aubry, co-chair of the Left.

Martin Schirdewan, another co-chair of the group, also stressed that the commission failed "on every front" under von der Leyen's leadership.

The group, through their motion of censure, rejects the EU-US trade deal as "prejudicial to European interests" as well as "asymmetrical" and "non-reciprocal."

It also rejects the EU-Mercosur Agreement for it poses a "threat" to farmers, to the environment and to public health, while calling on the Council not to authorize the signing of the deal.

The Left group further "condemns the Commission’s failure to act in response to the Israeli Government’s brutal military assaults and systematic violations of international and humanitarian law in Gaza."

It calls for the immediate suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the imposition of sanctions on Israel, and a comprehensive arms embargo.

- 'Failures in transparency, accountability'

Stressing that the commission under von der Leyen lost parliament’s confidence, the group also called for its resignation due to its "failures in transparency, accountability and upholding international law."

Patriots for Europe also announced Wednesday during a press conference held by the group's head, Jordan Bardella, that it will submit a motion of censure against von der Leyen, citing alleged failures in trade, transparency, and accountability.

Bardella criticized the Mercosur deal, signed in December despite opposition from national parliaments, saying it threatens European farmers and consumers by allowing products that fail to meet EU standards.

He also slammed the EU-US trade framework announced last month, calling it a "political setback" and a "capitulation" concluded without a council mandate.

In a statement, the group urged all European Parliament members (MEPs) to support the motion to "restore accountability, sovereignty, and transparency within the European Union."

Under parliamentary rules, a group can submit a motion of censure with 72 signatures only if two months have passed since the previous motion. Otherwise, 144 signatures are required.

The last motion against von der Leyen was submitted on July 10, meaning the earliest the current motions could be submitted with 72 signatures is Wednesday at midnight.

Von der Leyen previously survived a no-confidence vote, which could have brought down the entire European Commission. During that vote, 360 MEPs voted against the motion, 175 supported it, and 18 abstained, falling short of the two-thirds majority required to pass.

The motion had been introduced by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, who criticized von der Leyen for refusing to disclose text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during EU COVID-19 vaccine negotiations in 2021.

A recent Cluster17 survey found that six in 10 Europeans believe von der Leyen should resign following the announcement of the EU-US trade deal framework. Among respondents, 39% said they were "very favorable" to her resignation, 21% "somewhat favorable," and only 8% "very against."