STRASBOURG, FRANCE – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen survived a vote of no confidence initiated by the right-wing in the European Parliament. The motion, which would have forced von der Leyen and the entire European Commission to resign if passed, received only 175 votes in favor, while 360 members voted against and 18 abstained. A total of 553 out of 720 members of the European Parliament participated in the vote, with 360 votes needed to pass the motion.

The Politico website reported that, although von der Leyen clearly won the vote, the result revealed deeper divisions within her support base. Katarina Barley, Vice-President of the European Parliament representing the Socialists and Democrats (S&D), warned that for many members, this was "the last chance" for von der Leyen to change the direction of the Commission. The vote, the first of its kind since 2014, highlighted growing dissatisfaction with the Commission's leadership, particularly due to accusations of right-wing bias, lack of transparency, centralization of power, and weakening of the European Green Deal.

Von der Leyen retained the support of her European People's Party (EPP), the Socialists, the liberals from Renew Europe, and the Greens, but the absence of some members of these groups during the vote signaled growing discontent. The Socialists and liberals expressed concerns about the Commission's right-wing direction, particularly regarding the retreat from ambitious goals of the Green Deal and the insufficient focus on social issues.

The liberals from Renew Europe ultimately did not support the motion of no confidence because they did not want to "play games" with the far-right that could destabilize the European Union, a Renew Europe spokesperson told Politico. The Socialists voted in favor after von der Leyen conceded to their demand to maintain the European Social Fund in the EU budget next week.

This fund, which focuses on fighting poverty and supporting vulnerable groups, was originally threatened with cuts, which sparked strong criticism from the center-left faction.

The motion of no confidence was submitted by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR). Although he expected the motion to fail, he considered the vote to be "healthy" for the EU, as it showed that it was possible to challenge the authority of the Commission President. "We have opened Pandora's Box," Piperea told Politico, adding that he expected further attempts at votes of no confidence.

On the other hand, Siegfried Mureșan, Vice-Chairman of the EPP, downplayed the significance of the vote, saying that it would "almost be forgotten" by the summer. Nevertheless, some members of the EPP, Socialists, and Renew Europe expressed disagreement with von der Leyen.

For example, two EPP MEPs from Romania (Vincze Loránt and Iuliu Winkler) abstained from the vote, as did several members of Renew Europe and the S&D, including MEPs from Ireland, Slovenia, Malta, and Lithuania. One Socialist MEP (Ciaran Mullooly, Ireland) and one Renew MEP (Matjaž Nemec, Slovenia) even voted in favor of the motion.

According to a report in The Guardian, the vote of no confidence reflects a broader dissatisfaction with von der Leyen, who has faced criticism for her political compromises with conservative and right-wing factions. The Guardian emphasizes that her shift towards the right, particularly on issues of migration and the environment, has alienated some of her original support among liberals and the Greens. At the same time, the German newspaper Der Spiegel has highlighted the growing centralization of power within the Commission under von der Leyen's leadership, which some MEPs believe undermines the democratic principles of the EU.

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Der Spiegel quotes German Member of Parliament Engin Eroğlu (Renew), who abstained from the vote, stating that ""The Commission must be more transparent and less authoritarian."

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung points out that the vote was more of a symbolic gesture by the far-right than a real threat to von der Leyen. However, it warns that repeated attempts to pass a vote of no confidence could weaken her authority, especially if the EPP, Socialist, and Liberal coalition continues to fragment.

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