The cup of votes: von der Leyen withstood two votes of no confidence

In Strasbourg, a vote was held on two votes of no confidence in the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Initiatives were made by both the right and the left, but success was not achieved. The right—wingers accuse the head of the European Commission of "capitulating to the United States," the left - of inaction on Gas. The current MEP, Peter Volgin, told Izvestia that the votes signal a growing distrust of the European Commission. The vote took place on the eve of the EU leaders' summit on October 23-24, at which it is planned to resolve the issue of Russian assets and support for Ukraine. About what von der Leyen is being criticized for and why the vote failed — in the Izvestia article.

Votes of no confidence in von der Leyen

In total, the head of the EC has passed through three votes of no confidence since July this year. The situation is very revealing. In order to oust von der Leyen, MEPs need to collect 2/3 of the votes in favor among those cast and an absolute majority of the total number of deputies. The task is quite difficult, given that the EP has only 720 mandates.

In July, right-wing deputies already launched a vote of no confidence in the head of the EC. The reason then was the scandal surrounding the purchase of vaccines during the pandemic. Von der Leyen negotiated a multibillion-dollar deal for Pfizer drugs via text message, which led to distrust of the EC president. Then 175 deputies voted for the resignation of the head of the European Commission, 360 opposed.

This time, von der Leyen did not please two political forces at once — both the right and the left. Votes of no confidence against her were put forward by Jordan Bardella's "Patriots for Europe" (PFE) and Manon Aubry's "Leftists". The right-wingers accused von der Leyen of capitulating to the United States, harming European farmers from her "green course", a soft approach to illegal migration and a weak EU trade line. For the left, the problem lies in its inaction on the conflict in the Gaza Strip, its lack of transparency, and its "antisocial" climate agenda. Both groups spoke separately. As a result, 179 deputies voted in favor on the initiative of the former, and 133 on the initiative of the latter.

There are many reasons why the entire European Commission should resign, said Petr Volgin, a member of the European Parliament, in an interview with Izvestia. In his opinion, this is von der Leyen's personal failure in signing a customs trade agreement with US President Donald Trump, the rearmament of Europe, the cultivation of anti-Russian hysteria and other points.

—18 packages of sanctions have been adopted against Russia, but EU leaders do not dare to utter a single critical word against the government of Benjamin Netanyahu," he said.

The problem with voting against the head of the European Commission is that the right, because of their views on Gas, cannot vote for the initiative of the left, and the left for the initiative of the right, said Gunnar Beck, an ex-member of the European Parliament, in a conversation with Izvestia.

He added that while there is no single vote from both the left and the right, von der Leyen cannot lose. At the same time, the parties of the center in the European Parliament will not initiate such a vote.

Dissatisfaction with the European Commission is growing

Dissatisfaction is growing not only with von der Leyen, but also with the entire European Commission, Volgin added. The proof of this is the fact of two simultaneous votes of no confidence from completely different ideological parties in the European Parliament.

"For the first time in the history of the European Parliament, two votes of no confidence were simultaneously requested: from the Leftist and Patriots for Europe factions," the MEP said. — These two groups are on opposite sides of the fence on most issues. But now they want the same thing: the immediate resignation of the current European Commission.

It is noteworthy that last time the deputies from the "Left" abstained from voting on the vote, and now they have become its initiators. This indicates a growing stratum of dissatisfied with von der Leyen's policies in the European Parliament.

At the same time, the head of the European Commission remains firmly supported by the key forces of the European Parliament. The European People's Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), Renew Europe (Renew), the Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) and the European Conservatives and Reformers (ECR) remain with it. As a result, together they form a stable core of about 530 locations. However, things can change.

In this context, it is worth remembering the elections to the European Parliament in 2024. Then the centrists' positions sagged, and the eurosceptics on the right increased in parliament. For example, it was then that the resounding victory of the French right forced Emmanuel Macron to dissolve the National Assembly and hold early elections to the lower house of the country's parliament.

Militarization of Europe

Von der Leyen's criticism and votes of no confidence are taking place against the background of preparations for the EU leaders' summit on October 23-24. At it, the head of the European Commission will continue to bend his line on further militarization of the European Union and financial support for Ukraine. It is worth recalling the EC's proposal alone to transfer a large loan of 140 billion euros to the country against the profitability of Russian assets frozen in Europe. Moscow calls this project theft and illegal seizure of Russian property.

In addition, programs to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities are already threatening even the scientific field. The editors of Nature have published a column calling for the preservation of the EU framework programs for research and innovation called Horizon as a "defense-free zone." The fact is that the European Commission proposes to double the budget of the next framework period to 175 billion euros and open financing for dual-use projects. According to critics, this is a direct political interference in the priorities of science and the "militarization" of scientific research.

As a result, the failure of the two votes of no confidence proved once again the strong position of the Brussels bureaucracy, which still holds the majority and pushes for the militarization of the EU. At the summit on October 23-24, von der Leyen will traditionally seek a "reparation" loan, a scheme with a vague legal basis and obvious risks that will eventually fall on European taxpayers. The situation with Horizon has also shown that the scientific community no longer represents any authority for Brussels. In other words, in Europe, the course is set not by voters, but by supranational structures.

The EC's proposal logically fits into the context of the creation of the so-called "drone wall", which is planned to be built along the eastern border of the EU countries from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. The goal is supposedly protection from Russian drones. The European Commission is persistently pushing such an expensive project and is already looking for sources of financing for it.