EU Parliament rejects two censure motions against von der Leyen
The motion of the Patriots (party to which the League belongs) was defeated with 378 votes against, the ayes were 179, the abstentions 37; that of The Left with 383 against, the ayes were 133, the abstentions 78
from our correspondent Bede Romano
BRUSSELS - Ursula von der Leyen has swiftly overcome a double motion of no-confidence in the Strasbourg Parliament. The two initiatives had come from the extreme left and the extreme right at a time of clear unpopularity of the President of the European Commission. At the national level, the divisions between the Italian MEPs and the choice of some French MEPs of the European People's Party to vote with the extreme right were noteworthy.
The first motion, the one tabled by Patriots for Europe, was rejected by 378 votes against, 179 votes in favour, and 37 abstentions. The second motion, the one supported by The Left, was rejected by 383 votes against, 133 votes in favour, and 78 abstentions. In the first case, the text criticised the economic agreement with the United States and the trade agreement with Mercosur. In the second case, the motion pointed the finger at Brussels' choices on the rearmament front and the crisis in Gaza.
As mentioned, the outcome of the vote was better than the one recorded on the occasion of a motion of no-confidence, which was voted on before the summer recess. At that time there were 360 votes against, the text had been tabled by a group of nationalist MPs and was based on Mrs von der Leyen's choice not to publish the exchange of messages with the executives of the American company Pfizer at the height of the pandemic.
"I deeply appreciate the strong support received today," Ms von der Leyen said, "The Commission will continue to work closely with the European Parliament in tackling Europe's challenges. And together we will achieve results for all European citizens. United for our citizens, our values and our future. During a debate on Monday, Ms von der Leyen had called for unity.
The figure of the president remains controversial. This also emerges from the last vote. Focusing on the ruling majority in Italy, it is worth noting that Fratelli d'Italia abstained on the motion of the extreme right, while the Lega voted in favour, and Forza Italia voted against. On the motion tabled by the radical left, Fratelli d'Italia and Forza Italia voted against, while the Lega members abstained (except for MEP Roberto Vannacci who voted in favour).
