Deepening rift in EU: von der Leyen faces dual impeachment challenges

According to Politico, the parliamentary groups “Patriots for Europe” and “The Left” have called for a vote on von der Leyen’s leadership. The outlet reported that, based on an internal email from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola—seen by Politico—the European Parliament will debate and vote on the two impeachment motions during its plenary session from October 6 to 9.

The two political groups, the far-right Patriots for Europe and the Left, filed two separate impeachment motions against the Commission President at midnight on September 10, the earliest moment allowed under parliamentary rules. Two officials noted that the Patriots submitted their motion just 20 seconds before the Left.

These actions came only hours after von der Leyen delivered her “historic speech” on the state of the European Union in Strasbourg—and just two months after she last secured a confidence vote—highlighting deep political divisions within the bloc.

According to the report, the Patriots for Europe accused von der Leyen of lacking transparency and accountability, sharply criticizing trade agreements such as Mercosur and the EU-U.S. deal. Meanwhile, the Left also opposed the Commission’s trade policies but placed greater emphasis on the EU executive’s inaction regarding Israel’s war in Gaza.

The simultaneous filing of two impeachment motions is unprecedented and has sparked debate over how to organize parliamentary debates and voting on the two separate motions.

The timing of the debates and votes will be decided by the leaders of the political groups when finalizing the plenary agenda on October 1.

According to two sources familiar with parliamentary procedure, the most likely scenario is a joint debate on Monday, October 6, followed by two separate votes on October 9. The Patriots are expected to claim the right to hold the first vote, as they filed their motion slightly earlier.