EU chief faces confidence votes in fractious parliament
STRASBOURG, France: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen faces two confidence votes Thursday in the European Parliament — challenges that pose no serious threat to her leadership but underscore the tensions roiling the assembly.
The two motions of censure against von der Leyen were brought by the hard-left and far-right, which accuse her European Commission of a lack of transparency and reject her trade policies.
But while the motions are widely expected to fail, they reflect mounting discontent with von der Leyen’s leadership and will test the cohesion of the coalition led by her conservative European People’s Party (EPP).
For von der Leyen, there is a sense of deja vu.
She survived a previous far-right attempt to unseat her in July, but the vote opened the door for allies in von der Leyen’s so-called pro-European camp to air their own grievances.
Critics from the left and center accuse von der Leyen — and the broader conservative camp — of blurring lines with the far right and backtracking on environmental legislation.
“We can’t really say there’s been any progress in this Parliament,” charged centrist Renew group leader Valerie Hayer during a heated debate in the chamber on Monday.
“The pro-European majority that elected you is still not functioning properly,” Hayer said.
Iratxe Garcia Perez of the Socialists and Democrats delivered a warning to von der Leyen.
“You must choose between your allies and those who are not our friends,” she said in the parliament.
