Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will face a vote of no confidence in the European Parliament on Thursday, July 10, 2025. This marks the first time since 2014 that a Commission president has been subjected to such a motion. While the vote is largely symbolic at this stage—most political groups have already declared their intention to reject the motion—it highlights growing frustration with von der Leyen in Brussels following a series of controversial decisions and scandals, according to Politico.
If passed, the motion would force the entire Commission to resign and trigger the complex process of appointing 27 new European commissioners. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the schedule to political group leaders on Wednesday evening, July 2, 2025. The debate is set for Monday, during which von der Leyen will appear and respond to accusations. Political group leaders will then voice their positions.
The motion was introduced by Romanian right-wing legislator Gheorghe Piperea after collecting the necessary signatures last week. It stems from outrage over secret messages sent by von der Leyen in 2021 to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla regarding vaccine distribution during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Although some members of von der Leyen’s own European People’s Party (EPP) and the right-wing ECR group withdrew support under pressure, the motion still gathered the required 72 signatures to proceed.
Despite recent political tensions—with Socialists and Liberals accusing von der Leyen of aligning with far-right factions to weaken green reforms—the centrist EU majority that supported her presidency appears reluctant to back the motion.