European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday survived a no-confidence motion brought by far-right lawmakers over the European Union’s trade agreement with the South American Mercosur bloc.
The motion, tabled during the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, failed to secure the required two-thirds majority, falling short of the minimum 361 votes needed for adoption. In the final tally, 390 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted against the motion, 165 voted in favor, and 10 abstained.
The censure motion was submitted on January 14 by the Patriots for Europe group, the third-largest political force in the European Parliament. The group accused the European Commission of bypassing both the European Parliament and national parliaments in concluding the Mercosur agreement, while ignoring the concerns of millions of European farmers.
This marked the fourth time von der Leyen has faced a no-confidence attempt since beginning her second term as Commission president. She previously survived similar motions linked to the situation in the Gaza Strip and EU trade policy in July and October 2025.
Under the EU–Mercosur agreement, tariffs on a range of agricultural products—including beef, poultry, dairy products, sugar, and ethanol—are to be reduced for Mercosur countries Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. In return, European industrial sectors would gain broader access to South American markets.
The agreement was signed on January 17 in Paraguay after more than two decades of negotiations. Its adoption had been delayed in December amid widespread protests by European farmers and opposition from several EU member states, notably France, Ireland, Hungary, and Poland.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution requesting the European Court of Justice to issue a legal opinion on whether the Mercosur agreement is compatible with EU treaties, adding another layer of scrutiny to the controversial deal.
