E fundit!

20:33 TODAY

Protest for the second time in Pogradec/ Citizens seek solutions to their concerns

With banners in their hands and calls for change, resident...

Von der Leyen faces no-confidence motion again

2026-01-15 08:25:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Parliament President Roberta Metsola informed parliamentary group leaders that the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, will face another motion of no confidence. The debate and vote will take place at next week's parliamentary session in Strasbourg. This is the fourth motion of no confidence against von der Leyen and her team in six months.

Fourth motion of no confidence

The motion was presented by the right-wing group "Patriots for Europe", which criticizes von der Leyen and her team mainly for the Mercosur trade agreement with the South American countries of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The "Patriots for Europe" group includes, among others, members of Marine Le Pen's French party, the Rassemblement National, as well as members of the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

For a motion of no confidence to be debated and put to a vote in the EU Parliament, it must be supported by at least one-tenth of the 719 current members of parliament.

Right-wingers criticize disregard for member states' parliaments
The parliamentary group "Patriots for Europe" criticized in the statement regarding the no-confidence motion "the flagrant disregard for the European Parliament, national parliaments and millions of European farmers" in the case of the signing of the Mercosur agreement. The agreement represents a direct attack on European food security and sovereignty and opens markets to products that do not meet European standards, the statement said.

But the no-confidence motion will not prevent the signing of the agreement. Its signing is scheduled to take place this Saturday in Paraguay, where Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President António Costa will also attend.

Previous no-confidence motions unsuccessful

The previous no-confidence motion by the Patriots for Europe parliamentary group against von der Leyen and the commission she leads failed in a vote in October 2025 with 378 MEPs voting against her and 179 in favor. A two-thirds majority is required for a no-confidence motion to pass. However, for the first time, MEPs from the Christian Democratic Union (EPP), to which von der Leyen belongs as a CDU politician, also voted against von der Leyen and her commission.

In October 2025, the Commission also survived a no-confidence motion by a group of left-wing parties, which was prompted by, among other things, the EU's customs agreement with the US and its stance on the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. A previous no-confidence motion in July 2025 also failed.

Motions of no confidence can only be sought against the entire Commission. If the motion is successful then the entire Commission must resign./DW