Vote aftermath: von der Leyen has no reason to rejoyce

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament, defeating an attempt by far-right and Eurosceptic forces to unseat her over her handling of COVID-19 vaccine contracts.

The 10 July vote, though unsuccessful, marked the strongest institutional challenge yet to von der Leyen’s leadership and signaled a politically volatile autumn in Brussels.

The motion, initiated by Romanian far-right MEP Gheorghe Piperea (ECR), gathered 175 votes in favour, falling well short of the two-thirds majority required. Still, the tally – 360 against and 18 abstentions out of 553 MEPs present, set a historic record for opposition against a sitting Commission president. For comparison, Jean-Claude Juncker faced 101 votes in favour of removal in 2014, while José Manuel Barroso saw only 35 in 2005.

The formal trigger for the motion was von der Leyen’s refusal to release her private text messages exchanged in 2021 with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during negotiations for the purchase of over a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Critics, including Piperea, accused her of secrecy and lack of transparency, framing the communication as circumvention of institutional oversight and public scrutiny.

Von der Leyen dismisses criticism over Pfizergate as attack from ‘Putin apologists’

Von der Leyen categorically rejected the allegations. Speaking ahead of the vote, she told MEPs: “This is taken straight from the oldest extremist playbook – polarise society, erode trust in democracy with conspiracy theories.” She argued that the contracts were negotiated transparently in coordination with all 27 EU member states, each of which had full knowledge of the terms, pricing, and volumes agreed upon.

Despite the clear majority opposing the no-confidence motion, the vote exposed fractures within the Parliament’s political centre. The centre-left Socialists & Democrats (S&D), a key part of the coalition that supported von der Leyen’s nomination in 2019, initially announced they would abstain from the vote, citing disappointment with the Commission’s record on social policy and broken promises. Just days before the vote, von der Leyen pledged to maintain full funding for the European Social Fund in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (2027-2034), convincing 98 S&D members to oppose the motion.

Nonetheless, far-right groups declared victory in defeat. “I opened Pandora’s box,” Piperea said after the vote, vowing new challenges to von der Leyen’s legitimacy in the next parliamentary term. The vote, he argued, proved that her leadership could be seriously contested. His initiative had received backing from 77 MEPs – more than the minimum 10% threshold required for registering a no-confidence motion.

The strongest support for the motion came from the newly formed group Patriots for Europe, spearheaded by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally. Of their 85 members, 75 voted to remove von der Leyen. They were joined by 39 MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) – though notably, half the group refrained from backing the motion, including members from Italy’s ruling Brothers of Italy party. The motion also attracted votes from 24 members of the far-right Sovereign Nations group and 22 unaffiliated MEPs representing radical parties from countries like Germany, Slovakia, and Bulgaria.

Orbán himself added fuel to the fire. On 9 July, he posted on social media platform X: “It’s time for you to go,” accompanied by a portrait of von der Leyen. His party’s lead MEP, Kinga Gál, issued a stark warning after the vote: “This is only the first chapter. Another no-confidence resolution is already on its way.”

Many dislike von der Leyen, for different reasons. But the support of Orbán pushed them to vote against  her removal, pinching their nose. One has to chose between two evils.

In her remarks during the debate on Monday, von der Leyen framed the motion as part of a broader campaign by anti-EU and pro-Kremlin forces to undermine the European project. “We see troubling threats from extremist parties that want to polarise our societies with disinformation,” she said. “They are supported by our enemies and their proxies, whether in Russia or elsewhere.”

Von der Leyen dismisses criticism over Pfizergate as attack from ‘Putin apologists’

While she remains in office, the political cost of the motion is tangible. In internal circles, questions linger about her ability to maintain a centrist coalition ahead of a possible second term bid. The growing alignment between Eurosceptic national governments and radical forces within the Parliament suggests that future legislative cooperation may become increasingly difficult.

With Parliament now entering its summer recess, von der Leyen has secured temporary reprieve. But all signs point to an autumn of renewed attacks and continued attempts to weaken the European Commission’s authority.

Caption: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers a speech during the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 26 June 2025, at a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, 09 July 2025. EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO

Updated: July 11, 2025 - 05:12