European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces scrutiny from EU lawmakers on Monday before twin no-confidence votes on Thursday in Strasbourg, France. The hard-left and far-right motions have minimal chances of removing her from the bloc's executive leadership. The challenges expose deepening tensions within the pro-European coalition among conservatives, centrists, and socialists after the far-right gained ground in June 2024 elections.
Critics target von der Leyen over transparency concerns and her July tariff agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump, which many lawmakers view as imbalanced. Leftist and centrist members accuse her conservative European People's Party of aligning with far-right forces to eliminate green business regulations. Coalition leaders Manfred Weber and Iratxe Garcia Perez have exchanged blame for the alliance's dysfunction, while the hard-right observes the infighting. A successful no-confidence vote would mark a historical first since the 1999 Santer Commission resignation.
Critics target von der Leyen over transparency concerns and her July tariff agreement with U.S. President Donald Trump, which many lawmakers view as imbalanced. Leftist and centrist members accuse her conservative European People's Party of aligning with far-right forces to eliminate green business regulations. Coalition leaders Manfred Weber and Iratxe Garcia Perez have exchanged blame for the alliance's dysfunction, while the hard-right observes the infighting. A successful no-confidence vote would mark a historical first since the 1999 Santer Commission resignation.
