European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing a vote of no confidence over the COVID-19 pandemic scandal, which threatens to derail her political agenda for a second term.
Some MEPs are confident that they have secured enough support for their motion calling for the Commission to resign after the EU court ruled against its handling of private messages with the CEO of a pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
According to Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, he will be able to gather more than 72 signatures to table a motion of no confidence. The initiative itself is mainly aimed at maintaining transparency and ensuring a fair and genuine democratic process.
Although the threshold for a vote of no confidence is low, more than two-thirds of MEPs would be needed to oust von der Leyen and her commission. The assembly has 720 members, and 401 voted for her to become president a year ago, although she has since alienated some of them.
Von der Leyen will most likely survive the vote, but it could force her to make additional compromises to secure support.
Earlier, von der Leyen faced another rebellion by political groups in the EU parliament. The European Commission is trying to withdraw a bill aimed at combating greenwashing. It would prohibit companies from calling their products environmentally friendly unless they have sufficient evidence to support this claim. However, the decision to withdraw the bill has sparked protests.
