BUCHAREST/BRUSSELS - George Simion, leader of the Romanian opposition party Alliance for the Unification of Romania (AUR), announced that he has launched a major campaign among MEPs to trigger a vote of no confidence in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. He said he intends to participate in this initiative together with "all 720 MEPs".
Simion announced his intention on Monday during a press conference in Bucharest. At the same time, he criticised the current leadership of the Commission for, in his view, inefficient management of key European agendas and insufficient representation of the interests of individual member states. "We need to restore accountability and give power back to the people through their elected representatives," Simion said.
The AUR president did not specify how many signatures he has already managed to obtain, nor whether he is negotiating support with representatives of other eurosceptic or right-leaning factions. In the European Parliament, a motion of no confidence in the Commission must be signed by at least one tenth of all MEPs, i.e. at least 72. To be successful, it must then be approved by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast and an absolute majority of all Members of Parliament.
Some political commentators consider Simion's move more of a symbolic gesture ahead of the upcoming Romanian parliamentary elections, where the AUR is trying to reach out to voters dissatisfied with Brussels. Neither the European Commission nor Ursula von der Leyen have yet officially commented on the matter.
gnews.cz - GH
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