EU Parliament Debates Von der Leyen Censure Motion Amid Transparency Claims

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faced a rare motion of censure in the European Parliament, initiated mainly by far-right lawmakers accusing her administration of opacity, particularly regarding the handling of COVID-19 vaccine negotiations and related communications with Pfizer. The motion, led by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea, cited transparency issues and alleged discretionary decision-making, but von der Leyen defended her record by emphasizing equal vaccine access across EU member states and called for unity and cooperation with the parliament. Despite the political tension, centrist and pro-European groups holding the parliamentary majority expressed support for von der Leyen, making the success of the censure vote unlikely as it required a two-thirds majority. The debate and subsequent roll call vote were scheduled for July 10, with the vote being public and allowing lawmakers to withdraw support before the final decision. Historically, motions of censure against the European Commission have almost always failed, with only one resignation in 1999, which occurred without a formal vote. Von der Leyen's leadership comes at a critical time for the EU, amid challenges such as US tariffs, the war in Ukraine, and economic reforms, and she brought her entire commission to demonstrate solidarity during the parliamentary debate.