A debate was held on Monday on a motion of no-confidence in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on the initiative of Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea.
“What we heard from Mr. Pipere was, I think, quite clear. It follows the standard playbook of populists: undermine trust in democracy with false narratives,” the EC president said in her response.
Piperea, a member of the Eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists parliamentary group, was not supported by his own party colleagues, but managed to gather the necessary number of signatures – 75, with a minimum of 72 required – for the European Parliament to consider the issue.
The essence of the claims against the EC president is her stubborn refusal to disclose her correspondence with Albert Bourla, Pfizer CEO, during negotiations on COVID-19 vaccines.
On May 14, the EU Court overturned the EC’s decision to deny access to text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Bourla. According to the European Commission, the messages were deleted because they did not contain any relevant information.
However, the criminal proceedings were closed on January 20, by the Liège Court of Appeal, which found the claims brought in Belgium against the EC President and the head of Pfizer to be inadmissible.
Von der Leyen is also accused of misusing Article 122 of the Treaty on European Union, which allows her to bypass the European Parliament, to establish the SAFE EU financial instrument for defence investments worth €150 billion, even though this article is intended for emergency situations.
The third complaint is alleged interference in elections through the use of EU digital services law in Romania and Germany.
According to the French magazine Le Point, “this is the real motive behind the Romanian MP’s vote of no confidence” and a form of revenge by George Simion, the leader of the Romanian party Alliance for the Unity of Romanians, which has three representatives in the European Parliament, including Piperea.
Responding to him, in particular on the issue of COVID-19 vaccines, von der Leyen said: “The 27 Member States decided to purchase their own vaccines. They decided this themselves. To claim that Member States were not familiar with the contracts, prices or quantities of vaccines is a lie. It is simply a blatant lie.”
The EP vote on the motion of no confidence in the EC President will take place on July 10.
