European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will face two no-confidence motions in October, after the European Parliament’s Left group launched its own challenge on Thursday, just one day after the far-right Patriots for Europe filed a similar motion.
The Left group gathered the required 72 signatures to initiate the procedure, drawing support from its 46 MEPs, members of the Greens/EFA group — mainly Spanish and Italians — and non-affiliated lawmakers, including Germany’s Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance. One Socialist and Democrat member, Ireland’s Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, also signed the motion.
The initiative targets von der Leyen’s handling of EU trade agreements and the bloc’s response to the war in Gaza. Manon Aubry, co-president of the Left group, denounced the EU-US trade deal as “prejudicial, asymmetrical, and non-reciprocal,” accusing it of reducing the EU to a “Donald Trump vassal.” The Left also condemned the EU-Mercosur deal for threatening European agriculture.
On Gaza, the group accused the Commission of turning a blind eye to what Aubry called “one of the worst catastrophes of our century,” citing more than 60,000 deaths. The motion calls for suspending the EU-Zionist entity association agreement, imposing sanctions on the Zionist entity, and implementing a full arms embargo. It also criticizes the Commission’s failure to address climate and social crises within Europe. If adopted, the motion would force the resignation of the entire College of Commissioners. Both motions — from the Left and the far right — are expected to be debated and voted on in early October, marking the first time in Parliament’s history that two no-confidence attempts against the Commission will be considered in the same week.
