BRUSSELS — A doubtlessly imminent vote of no confidence in European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen is sort of sure to fail, however would on the similar time compound her embarrassment over the Pfizergate scandal.
Romanian right-wing lawmaker Gheorghe Piperea has filed a movement of censure towards von der Leyen over her secret texts from 2021 with Albert Bourla, the chief government of pharmaceutical large Pfizer, throughout discussions on getting vaccines to Europe on the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Piperea has secured the required assist of 70 MEPs to carry the no-confidence vote, a low bar in comparison with the two-thirds majority of votes forged within the 720-seat Parliament that will be wanted for the movement to really succeed.
If handed — an final result that’s thought of extremely unlikely — the movement would result in the resignation of your entire Fee and set off the advanced means of appointing 27 new European commissioners from member nations.
Piperea mentioned on social media that his motivation was to convey transparency to the “Brussels paperwork.”
“It is going to be sensational to see how Ursula von der Leyen justifies the accusations within the movement, particularly because the Court docket of Justice of the European Union lately ordered the Fee to publish particulars of its negotiations on the contracts with Pfizer,” he mentioned.
The Parliamentary authorities are presently assessing the admissibility of the request. If accredited, a debate and a vote can be scheduled for the plenary session within the second week of July.
As a part of this course of, von der Leyen would wish to look with a purpose to defend herself, adopted by a debate, wherein political group leaders would specific their views.
Regardless of latest political turmoil, with the Socialists and liberals accusing von der Leyen of aligning with the far proper to water down inexperienced reforms, the EU’s centrist majority that supported her presidency has little urge for food to assist Piperea’s drastic measure.
The middle-right European Folks’s Social gathering (EPP), the Socialists and Democrats and liberal Renew Europe confirmed to POLITICO they may vote towards any such movement. The Greens, in the meantime, are unlikely to assist bringing down the Fee through a far-right movement.
Iratxe García Pérez, chair of the S&D group, mentioned: “We gained’t assist any extreme-right initiative.”
Even The Left group lawmakers, usually vital of von der Leyen, recommended they had been prone to vote towards the movement. “We don’t work with the far-right teams who’ve been currently de facto supporting von der Leyen’s agenda after which pretending to be mad at her,” a bunch spokesperson mentioned.
The movement has garnered assist from MEPs from the far-right Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations teams. It has additionally notably acquired backing from some EPP MEPs, seemingly the Slovenian delegation, which beforehand voted towards von der Leyen’s re-election final summer season.
However the EPP at giant — von der Leyen’s personal get together — would naturally vote towards, having slammed the no confidence vote as “irresponsible” and “disgraceful to the residents who forged their votes only one 12 months in the past.”