Von der Leyen survived confidence votes once again

STRASBOURG – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen survived yet another confidence debate in the European Parliament, barely three months after narrowly surviving a previous vote. 

This time, two motions have been tabled, one from the far right and another from the radical left, both challenging her leadership. The Patriots for Europe group denounced her trade agenda, including the EU-Mercosur and EU-U.S. agreements, while the Left accused her of complicity in Israel’s actions in Gaza.

A motion of censure in the European Parliament – equivalent to a vote of no confidence – requires a two-thirds majority of votes cast and an overall majority of MEPs. If successful, the Commission would have had to resign. 

Unlike the previous debate, centrist criticism this time has largely been directed at the extremes. 

Von der Leyen struck a measured tone during the session, delivering a noticeably shorter speech than last summer. Describing the current period as one of “maximum uncertainty and explosive volatility,” she called for European unity and reaffirmed her intention to work closely with both Parliament and Member States.

Among political leaders, Manfred Weber – head of von der Leyen’s own EPP group – was her only outspoken supporter. Other centrist leaders emphasized that maintaining stability was preferable to deepening divisions. 

Iratxe García, leader of the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), dismissed the Patriots’ motion as mere political theatre. Valérie Hayer of Renew Europe labeled both the Left and the Patriots “trolls” for promoting their motions, while acknowledging dysfunction within the current coalition. She urged the EPP and S&D to focus on rebuilding a centrist majority, showing a diminished clout compared with the previous legislature, when they were seen as the main power brokers. 

Nicola Procaccini, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), said his group would vote along national rather than party lines.

Even so, von der Leyen’s intervention attracted less attention than the latest political upheaval in France, where Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigned after just 26 days in office. Notably, both Jordan Bardella (PfE) and Manon Aubry (The Left) – French MEPs – refrained from targeting the turmoil in Paris. 

Yet the French crisis underscores a broader trend: the political center is struggling to maintain stability and to convince Europeans that it can deliver on the most pressing challenges.

All’s well that ends well. The far-right Patriots for Europe motion fell by 179 votes in favour, 378 against and 37 abstentions, while The Left’s motion did even worse with 133 in favour, 383 against and 78 abstentions.

The outcome is a clear blow to her opponents. Compared with July’s no-confidence attempt, a greater number of MEPs voted against censure. The Left had hoped to obtain 200 votes but fell well short.

Nevertheless, the French EPP delegation broke ranks to endorse the Left’s motion, citing farmers’ discontent over Mercosur and worries about unfair competition.

This article has been updated on 10 October