Latest news with #Piperea
Euronews
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
European Parliament to vote next week on toppling Commission
The European Parliament is set to debate and vote next week on a 'motion of censure', a no-confidence vote against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and her College of Commissioners. Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, from the ultra-conservative party AUR, claims he has collected 73 signatures for his motion—one more than one-in-ten minimum threshold of MEPs (72) required to initiate the process. According to Piperea's office, 32 members of his political group, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), have backed the request. The remaining signatures came from the far-right groups Patriots for Europe (6), Europe of Sovereign Nations (26), and from non-attached MEPs. The MEPs' signatures are now being verified and validated by the Parliament's services, according to internal sources. Once the validation process is complete, President Roberta Metsola will formally inform MEPs that a motion of censure has been tabled. A plenary debate on the request for resignation must then be scheduled at least 24 hours after the announcement, and a vote on the matter must take place at least 48 hours after the start of the debate. Parliamentary sources told Euronews the debate could be held on Tuesday, 8 July, with the vote following on Thursday, 10 July, provided that President Metsola announces the motion by the end of this week. However, any signing MEP can withdraw their support for the motion at any time. If the one-tenth threshold is no longer met, the process is halted. At least two-thirds of the votes cast representing a majority of all MEPs would need to back the motion of censure for it to be adopted. A low-chance motion of censure This particular motion has very little chance of being approved, as even the MEP proposing it has acknowledged in an interview with Euronews. 'There will be a vote against the motion: I'm sure of this, because the majority is still there with von der Leyen. And even if in this majority there is a lot of discontent against von der Leyen, for the moment they will not force her to resign,' Piperea said. However, the Romanian MEP hopes the initiative could 'open a Pandora's box", encouraging further motions of censure in the months ahead. 'It is important that we have this democratic process, in order to force this kind of debate. Even if my motion will not succeed, there will probably be others in the future which will be successful," he said. The motion of censure rests on three main accusations, the first relates to text messages exchanged between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during COVID-19 vaccine negotiations. 'The EU Court of Justice in Luxemburg stated that the European Commission should disclose those SMS [...] The European Commission rejected the request. It's about separation of power in a democracy: if you cannot accept a decision of justice, this means breaking the rule of law,' Piperea claims. Other accusations include alleged misspending of post-COVID funds and an alleged attempt by the European Commission to promote its green policies by financing NGOs to lobby MEPs, both denied by the Commission.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Politics
- Euronews
MEPs seek EU Commission president's resignation with censure motion
A group of European lawmakers has launched an initiative for a no-confidence vote against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, claiming to have collected more than the required 72 signatures to formally submit the motion. Although unlikely to pass, the censure motion could pave the way to broader consequences, replicating the path that led in the 1990s to the voluntary resignation of the EU executive led by Jacques Santer. The move comes in response to a recent court ruling criticising von der Leyen's lack of transparency in relation to the so-called 'Pfizergate' scandal, as well as broader allegations of bypassing the European Parliament and centralising power within the Commission. Romanian hard-right MEP Gheorghe Piperea announced he would submit the motion of censure this week, having gathered signatures from MEPs across at least three political groupings on the right and far-right spectrum: the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), the Patriots, the European of Sovereign Nations group (ESN), as well as some non-affiliated members. Despite participation from individual conservative MEPs, the initiative does not officially represent the ECR group, which includes Italy's ruling party, Fratelli d'Italia, led by Giorgia Meloni. 'ECR MEPs participating in this initiative are doing so on an individual basis,' a spokesperson clarified. While the threshold to initiate a no-confidence vote is relatively low, the chances of removing von der Leyen and her Commission are slim. Such a motion requires a two-thirds majority in the 720-seat European Parliament. 'I hope other groups will join the motion, but I'm not naive,' Piperea told Euronews, acknowledging the unlikelihood of success. The 'Santer Commission' precedent That is not the direct aim however. 'Still, we could gather a couple hundred votes, which may trigger a broader debate among politicians and the public, possibly leading to her voluntary resignation,' said Piperea. No-confidence votes are infrequent but historically significant in the European Parliament. In 1999, the entire European Commission, led by Jacques Santer, resigned amid fraud allegations and transparency issues, despite surviving a confidence vote. Piperea, a lawyer by profession, said that even if the motion fails, it could serve as a valuable political tool. 'There seems to be an unwritten rule that the Commission, and von der Leyen in particular, cannot be held accountable for mistakes or failures. We must end this. In a democracy, there should be accountability, oversight, and responsibility.' The primary driver behind the motion is the ongoing 'Pfizergate' controversy, centred on von der Leyen's refusal to disclose text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during COVID-19 vaccine negotiations, For this matter, the EU court recently ruled against her. The motion also criticises her handling of legislative affairs, including the withdrawal of environmental proposals without proper consultation with Parliament. Unlikely perfect storm scenario The court ruling has amplified criticism of von der Leyen across the political spectrum, with socialists, liberals, and greens voicing concern over her leadership and transparency. According to Piperea, socialist MEPs are also discontented with recent budget cuts to anti-poverty programs. Nonetheless, the only scenario that could pose a real threat to von der Leyen would likely be a perfect storm, in which a wide range of political groups—including members of her own centre-right European People's Party (EPP)—turn against her for different reasons. The far-right origins of this initiative may deter broader support for it however. A source from The Left group, which has been among the most vocal opponents of von der Leyen and previously filed its own motion of censure, expressed scepticism. 'Some delegations in our group are strongly committed to the cordon sanitaire and avoid cooperation with the ECR,' the source said. 'They've supported Commissioner Fitto during this mandate and didn't back our earlier censure motion. This feels more like a communication stunt.' Piperea acknowledged the ideological roadblocks. 'Some groups aren't fully opposed to the motion itself, but they hesitate simply because it's coming from the right,' he said.
