BRUSSELS 

Right- and left-wing groups in the European Parliament plan to submit separate motions of no-confidence against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at midnight, officials confirmed.

Manus Carlisle, press officer for the Left Group, confirmed to Anadolu on Wednesday that the group is "currently collecting the signatures necessary."

"I don’t have any numbers for you yet but we need 72. We can table (submit it) at midnight if we have the signatures," he added.

Separately, Patriots for Europe announced 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.

"Our group is speaking on behalf of the millions of people who rightly believe that your commission no longer defends Europe. This commission is failing in every area. The Patriots Group is therefore tabling a motion of censure, which will provide clarity in October: who still supports Ursula von der Leyen?" he said.

-Trade policy under fire

The motion criticizes the EU Commission's trade policies, which the Patriots say have undermined Europe's economic strength and strategic autonomy.

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."