Von der Leyen survives another no-confidence vote

Von der Leyen escaped two consecutive no-confidence votes against her Commission after centrist parties coordinated their support for her leadership.

The motions, submitted by far-right and far-left groups, were debated on Monday evening and put to a vote at noon on Thursday.

According to Euronews, these simultaneous attempts stood little chance of success and failed to secure the majority needed for approval by a significant margin.

The motion introduced by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) group was rejected with 378 votes against, 179 in favor, and 37 abstentions; while a similar motion by The Left group was defeated with 383 votes against, 133 in favor, and 78 abstentions.

The number of MEPs supporting von der Leyen was slightly higher than in July, when she faced her first no-confidence vote. At that time, 360 voted against her dismissal, 175 supported it, and 18 abstained.

The fact that von der Leyen, who was not present in Strasbourg on Thursday, easily passed this test reflects growing fatigue among pro-European forces, who have complained that the no-confidence process has become increasingly symbolic and ineffective.