Ursula von der Leyen
As Euronews notes in this regard, the signatures of 10% of lawmakers, submitted in support of the idea to organize impeachment of the head of the European Commission, are still being verified. However, Romanian far-right MP Gheorghe Piperia does not hide the fact that his initiative is doomed to failure, as the head of the EC is backed by a strong majority.
But the very fact of initiating such a procedure is an absolute premiere and quite a resonant event for Europe.
Signatures under the petition for von der Leyen’s resignation were put by 32 members of the faction of European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), which is represented by Gheorghe Pieperä. Among the signatories are also 6 MPs from the far-right group Patriots for Europe and 26 from the also right-wing group Europe of Sovereign Nations. There are also signatures of independent MEPs.
As soon as the vetting process is completed, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, will officially inform MEPs about the vote of no confidence. A plenary debate must then be scheduled no later than 24 hours after the announcement. And the vote should take place no later than 48 hours after the start of the debate.
It is estimated that the debate could take place on July 8 and the vote on July 10. This is assuming that a vote of no confidence is announced by the end of this week.
For a vote of no confidence to be passed, it must be supported by at least two-thirds of the MPs present at the meeting.
The vote of no confidence in Ursula von der Leyen is based on three main allegations. The first is text messages exchanged between the head of the European Commission and Pfizer CEO Albert Burla during negotiations on COVID-19 vaccines.
Other counts include alleged misuse of post-COVID funds and an alleged attempt by the European Commission to promote its green policy by funding NGOs to lobby MEPs, which is denied by the Commission.
According to Euronews, the European Commission has already faced proposals to remove the chairman five times in its history, but so far no formal vote of no confidence has ever been passed.
