European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, is facing her biggest test yet as she prepares to face a rare vote of censure in the European parliament. The censure motion contains a mix of allegations against the former German Defence Minister. These include private text messages with the Pfizer CEO, misuse of EU funds and interference in elections in Germany and Romania.
The motion of censure tabled by the far-right, vaccine-sceptic Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea is expected to fail. But it will also shine a light on the simmering discontent among the centrist, centre-left and green MEPs who voted her back into office just a year ago. Furthermore, it could erode the Commission’s support in Parliament and ability to push through legislation.
Many though believe it’s not about Pfizer and the rest, but a proxy war.
Socialists and Democrats leader, Iratxe García Pérez, has described the motion as a “reactionary assault” on European politics. She believes it to be a result of the “totally misguided strategy in the European parliament” of von der Leyen’s European People’s Party. Seemingly referring to occasions when the centre right voted with the far right, for instance to block an EU ethics body, delay environmental reporting legislation and campaign against Green NGOs.
Von der Leyen was in a defiant mood as she took to the podium on Monday to set the record straight. She derided the “false claims about election meddling” and attempts to “rewrite history” on how Europe "successfully overcame a global pandemic together”.
She decries the motion as “another crude attempt to drive a wedge between our institutions, between the pro-Europeans, pro-democratic forces” of the European parliament and reaffirmed that she “will never let this happen”.
Piperea had won the backing of 76 like-minded nationalists and extremists, clearing the 10% threshold required to get on the agenda. But it is widely expected to fall short of the two-thirds majority threshold required for it to pass.
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The centrist groups, comprising von der Leyen’s center-right European People’s Party, the Socialists, and the liberals of Renew Europe, have all confirmed they will vote against it.
Initially there were concerns that no-shows and abstentions from mainstream groups could damage her standing in the vote.
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But von der Leyen’s shrewd last-minute deals have papered over the cracks… for now.
The beleaguered President won the support of the European Parliament’s Socialists and Democrats by promising to keep funds dedicated to social spending in the EU’s seven year budget from 2028.
As for the centrist MEPs, von der Leyen declared that payments to regions will continue to be handed out to local authorities as opposed to national governments in the new budget.
For context - these payments currently make up a third of the EU’s multi-year budget.
Von der Leyen’s earlier plan to dramatically increase the power of national governments in handling regional funds had already drawn severe criticism by lawmakers from across the spectrum, as well as by several of her own commissioners. The argument was that this would undermine local democracy and widen the gap between the richer and poorer parts of Europe.
Many applauded von der Leyen’s u-turn as a “gamechanger” as it would make it harder for autocratic leaders, such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, to cut EU funding to regions governed by political rivals.
