STRASBOURG – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen narrowly avoided political disaster on Thursday, surviving a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament sparked by her refusal to disclose text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine negotiations in 2021.
The motion, introduced by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, garnered 175 votes in favor, 360 against, and 18 abstentions—falling far short of the two-thirds majority needed to topple the Commission.
Piperea accused von der Leyen of violating EU transparency rules and defying a European General Court ruling that ordered the release of the controversial messages. He described the Commission’s actions as a “serious abuse of power” and demanded full disclosure in the name of democratic accountability.
Von der Leyen struck back during Monday’s parliamentary debate, calling the motion “taken from the oldest playbook of extremists.” She accused her opponents of peddling conspiracy theories driven by foreign agendas—an implicit reference to Russian influence efforts targeting EU institutions.
While von der Leyen has weathered this immediate challenge, the episode has reignited debate over transparency within EU decision-making and raised further scrutiny over the bloc’s multi-billion-euro vaccine procurement deals.
