Ursula von der Leyen
According to the Financial Times, the far-right in the European Parliament says it has received sufficient support for its proposal for her resignation following a ruling by the EU Court of Justice, which ruled: the commission broke transparency rules by refusing to provide Ursula von der Leyen’s personal correspondence with Pfizer CEO Albert Burla.
The vote could take place as early as next month. The chances of a vote of no confidence in von der Leyen are low. Nevertheless, it could lead to the need for compromises between the European Commission and some MEPs. To remove von der Leyen and her commission will require the support of more than 2/3 of MEPs. Earlier, 401 out of 720 deputies voted in favor of her candidacy for the post of EC head.
According to Romanian far-right MEP Gheorghe Piperia, he will introduce a motion of no confidence after collecting more than 72 required signatures. He said there are also supporters of the initiative in the parliament’s largest faction, the European People’s Party. “The essence of the initiative is to maintain transparency and ensure a fair and genuine democratic process. I think we can easily collect the necessary number of signatures to consider the vote in Parliament,” Piperia emphasized.
In April 2021, the EU struck the biggest ever deal with Pfizer to supply 900 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines worth €35 billion. The agreement gave Brussels the right to resell or transfer vaccines to partners, allowing it to support poor countries.
A lawsuit was filed against von der Leyen, accusing her of abuse of power in the purchase of vaccines, destruction of government documents and corruption, but a Belgian court dismissed the complaint. Journalists were banned from publishing the SMS.
In 2023, The New York Times demanded that the European Commission provide access to von der Leyen’s correspondence with Burla, which they conducted during the pandemic in Europe (from January 2021 to May 2022). The European Commission rejected the request, stating that there were no requested documents, after which the publication went to court. This time the lawsuit was satisfied.
