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European parliament to vote on motion of censure for von der Leyen — DPA

Gheorghe Piperea accuses Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission of lack of transparency and improper management during the pandemic

BERLIN, July 2. /TASS/. Next week, the European Parliament will hold a no-confidence vote against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over suspected violations, committed while purchasing COVID-19 vaccines, the DPA news agency reported.

The motion of censure was initiated by Romanian member of the European Parliament, Gheorghe Piperea. It received the support from 74 MEPs, with the required minimum of 72 votes. Piperea accuses von der Leyen and the European Commission of lack of transparency and improper management during the pandemic.

If European parliament members support the motion of censure, the European Commission will have to resign in full. However, the move is unlikely to get the required two thirds majority during the vote. The European Commission has already faced five no-confidence votes, and all of them have failed to get the required support.

However, according to the DPA, it will be a test for strength for von der Leyen, because many members of the European Parliament have criticized some of her political initiatives.

In 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the European Commission failed to ensure sufficient public access to Covid-19 vaccine purchase agreements and partially violated EU norms by making manufacturers not accountable for side effects of their products. The case revolved around contracts for over 3 billion doses of vaccine worth approximately 2.7 billion euro, signed in 2020 and 2021 before the clinical trials were completed. The contracts were signed under von der Leyen’s personal supervision.