Von der Leyen Survives No-Confidence Motions by EU Lawmakers

Brussels, Oct 9 (AP) The European Union’s chief, Ursula von der Leyen, emerged unscathed after two more no-confidence motions, as EU lawmakers decisively rejected censure attempts against her on Thursday.

During the votes concerning European Commission President von der Leyen, 378 lawmakers rebuffed a far-right censure motion, with 179 supporting it and 37 abstaining. Meanwhile, for a far-left motion, 383 lawmakers voted against it, 133 were in favor, and 78 abstained.

Von der Leyen has now successfully navigated three no-confidence votes within a year of commencing her second five-year term leading the EU’s powerful executive body. She is the first commission chief in over a decade to face such votes.

The European Commission is pivotal as it proposes EU laws and ensures compliance upon their enactment. It also handles trade negotiations for the 27 member countries and serves as Europe's principal competition regulator.

The nationalist Patriots for Europe political group contends that migration has surged under von der Leyen’s leadership, posing threats to identity and security. They claim she has failed farmers and consumers, risking food safety with her environmental policies.

The Left group criticizes her for endorsing several harmful trade agreements and not adequately addressing what they perceive as the Israeli government's ongoing violations of international law in Gaza. Nevertheless, von der Leyen received backing from major pro-European centrist groups in Strasbourg, who hold a majority in the legislature. These groups accuse both far-left and far-right factions of engaging in censure motions for political gain.

The votes have also sparked scrutiny over von der Leyen — who spearheaded the EU’s initiative to secure vaccines for the bloc’s 27 nations during the COVID-19 pandemic — and her center-right European People’s Party, the largest political faction in the assembly. They face accusations of aligning with the hard right to advance their political agenda.

(AP) GRS GRS

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)