No-confidence to von der Leyen, the temptations—and difficulties—of the progressive wing of the EU Parliament

Brussels – To give up the long-awaited trip to Ursula von der Leyen, or to “get your hands dirty” by supporting the motion of no-confidence against the European Commission president tabled by the extreme right: This is the dilemma that grips some of the groups in the progressive wing of the EU Parliament with one week to go before the vote, scheduled 10 July. If the social democrats have clearly ruled out any complicity with the sovereignist universe, the Green and Left groups have not yet released their reservations. 

Formally, both formations will only decide how to vote on Monday, 7 July, when the MEPs meet for the plenary session in the Strasbourg hemicycle. The Greens and the Left, which count 53 and 46 members, respectively, in the European Parliament, although politically contiguous, find themselves in two different situations in relation to the “Ursula” majority.

The ecologist group, an integral part of the pro-European coalition that supported von der Leyen in her first term of office, struggled not to be left out of the game after the disappointing European elections of 2024, and decided to confirm its support for the EU leader in the hope of receiving some guarantees on the Commission’s green agenda in return. The radical left, on the other hand, has strenuously opposed von der Leyen’s re-election, repeatedly denouncing the opacity of the process that confirmed her as head of the EU executive and the “collusions” between the European People’s Party and the Conservatives and Reformists, the sovereignist party then led by Giorgia Meloni, which little by little won a place in the Brussels control rooms. 

Surprisingly, the ambush on von der Leyen originated from within the ranks of the ECR, specifically from the Romanian AUR’s Georghe Piperea. Meanwhile, discontent also grows among progressive parties over the European rearmament strategy and the increasingly frequent backtracking on the Green Deal. The reasons cited in the motion are the Pfizergate case, in which von der Leyen is personally involved, and the alleged interference of Brussels in Romania’s national elections. 

Hence the contradiction: the temptation to dethrone von der Leyen is there, but to do so would require a united front with lifelong enemies. Sources close to the ecologist group say that in the end, the team led by Terry Reintke and Bas Eickhout will not support the no-confidence motion, “an attack by the extreme right aimed at creating chaos.” The Left appears to be along the same lines. According to a spokesman, it is not “a serious political attempt to overthrow von der Leyen,” but rather “a communication operation by the extreme right” aimed at “gaining visibility.” 

The position of the group led by France’s Manon Aubry and Germany’s Martin Schirdewan is, however, less tranchante. The two co-chairs are unlikely to be able to keep their MEPs united. The 5 Star Movement itself, which has eight elected members in the radical left group, appears to be leaning towards confirming the ‘no’ to von der Leyen that was expressed a year and a half ago. “After a year of disasters and rearmament, I don’t see how we can change our orientation,” explains the delegation.