NextFin news, On Thursday, October 9, 2025, the European Parliament convened in Strasbourg to vote on two no-confidence motions targeting the European Commission, led by President Ursula von der Leyen. The motions, tabled by the far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) and the left-wing group The Left, represent a significant challenge to von der Leyen's leadership just three months after she survived a similar vote.
The motions require at least two-thirds of votes cast, representing a majority of all 719 members (360 votes), to pass and force the entire Commission to resign. While the motions are widely expected to fail, they underscore growing dissatisfaction with the Commission's policies and test the cohesion of the centrist coalition supporting von der Leyen.
The PfE motion criticizes the Commission's environmental policies and recent trade agreements with the United States and Mercosur countries. It argues that these agreements threaten Europe's farming industry by allowing imports that do not meet EU environmental, social, and health standards, creating unfair competition for European farmers and livestock producers. The motion also condemns the Commission's handling of irregular migration and accuses it of lacking transparency.
The Left's motion shares concerns about the trade deals and transparency but further condemns the Commission's failure to address the climate and social crises across Europe. It also criticizes the Commission's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, accusing it of failing to respond adequately to Israeli military actions and violations of international law in Gaza.
During a joint debate held on Monday, PfE President Jordan Bardella and The Left co-chair Manon Aubry presented their criticisms, urging fellow Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to support the motions. Bardella accused von der Leyen of signing a "trade surrender" to the United States, while Aubry condemned the Commission's policies as harmful to both the environment and social welfare.
Von der Leyen responded with a conciliatory tone, emphasizing the need to focus on delivering results for Europeans and warning against falling into divisive traps. She highlighted the challenges facing the EU, including the war in Ukraine and threats from Russia, calling for unity among MEPs.
The centrist coalition, comprising the European People's Party (EPP), Socialists and Democrats (S&D), and Renew Europe, largely supports von der Leyen and opposes the motions. EPP, with 188 MEPs, is fully behind the Commission, with its chair Manfred Weber dismissing the motions as propaganda. S&D, with 136 MEPs, also opposes the motions, though some members may abstain or be absent for the Left's motion. Renew Europe, with 75 MEPs, similarly rejects the motions.
On the right, the PfE group of 84 MEPs supports their own motion and is expected to back the Left's motion as well, despite disagreements on some issues. The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), with 79 MEPs, allow a free vote among their members, likely resulting in a split. The Europe of Sovereign Nations group (ESN), with 27 MEPs, is expected to support the motions.
Leftist groups show divisions: the Greens/EFA group (53 MEPs) mostly opposes the motions, but some members from Spain and Italy support the Left's motion. The Left group (46 MEPs) faces a dilemma, committed to toppling the Commission but reluctant to ally with the far right. Some allied parties like Italy's Five Star Movement and Ireland's Sinn Féin may support the PfE motion.
The previous no-confidence vote in July 2025 saw 175 MEPs in favor and 360 against. While the threshold to topple the Commission is unlikely to be met, any increase in support for the motions or decrease in opposition would signal waning confidence in von der Leyen's leadership.
The European Parliament has never successfully forced a Commission to resign through a no-confidence vote. The last comparable event was in 1999 when the Santer Commission resigned en masse amid corruption allegations before a confidence vote could take place.
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