European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has survived a motion of no confidence in the European Parliament. Yet given the gravity of the accusations in the Pfizer scandal, business as usual is no longer an option. Von der Leyen is increasingly becoming a liability for Brussels.
The Brussels quake never came. On Thursday, von der Leyen narrowly escaped political embarrassment. 175 out of 720 Members of the European Parliament voted in favor of the motion of no confidence, while 360 rejected it and 18 abstained -- falling far short of the required two-thirds majority.
The initiative was launched by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), joined by members of Germany’s AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW. Piperea described the motion as “a necessary step to return to the foundations of democracy,” criticizing the “trend toward centralized power” and “the gradual takeover of competences that belong to the Member States and the European Parliament.”
With his initiative, Piperea became the voice of those who envision a European Union that sets basic frameworks and respects national sovereignty, rather than evolving into a supranational monolith that acts autonomously and without checks and balances.
Not a Sign of Strength
The rejection of the motion should not be mistaken for a show of confidence in von der Leyen’s leadership. It merely showed that the dominant factions in Parliament managed, for now, to close ranks and fend off the rising opposition from conservative and nationalist parties across Europe. Whether the political damage and loss of trust will haunt her in the coming weeks remains to be seen.
The motion's initiators aimed not only for a procedural outcome but for a media spotlight to expose von der Leyen’s leadership record and numerous failures. Central to their criticism is a scandal that EU media has largely ignored: von der Leyen’s secret SMS exchange with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla -- opaque, unrecorded, and hidden from Parliament.
Deals worth tens of billions of euros were signed without public tender, without democratic oversight. The European Court of Auditors itself criticized the process. Calls to release the SMS communications were stonewalled from the outset.
The second major issue raised was the €150 billion defense loan initiative -- a package pushed forward without parliamentary oversight, raising serious concerns about how Brussels finances its operations. Reminder: The EU Commission cannot raise money on credit markets without a mandate from the European Council under the EU’s budget rules. This mandate was lacking, and Parliament was barely involved.
Backroom Defenders
Von der Leyen received political cover from her CDU ally and EPP chairman Manfred Weber, who dismissed the criticism and labeled the motion’s backers as “Putin’s friends” -- claiming they were undermining European stability at a moment when decisive action was needed.
Transparency is the currency Brussels keeps inflating.
Yet von der Leyen showed no sign of reflection. During the plenary debate, she smeared the 72 signatories of the motion as divisive extremists seeking to polarize public discourse in lieu of offering real solutions.
This is classic behavior of a detached ruling class: incapable of self-criticism, allergic to dissent. Von der Leyen is actively undermining the European idea and accelerating the erosion of trust in the EU institutions. The pattern is familiar from German domestic politics: legitimate dissent is delegitimized through vague accusations of extremism -- a cheap way to shut down debate before it even begins.
Backlash from All Sides
Beyond parliamentary halls, broader resistance is mounting against the Commission’s policies. Critics point to Brussels’ unmistakable authoritarian drift, most evident in its legislative crackdown on free speech via the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act, aimed at platforms like X and Facebook.
Von der Leyen’s policies have triggered backlash abroad as well. Notably, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance slammed the EU’s anti-speech agenda, warning that transatlantic partnership would be reconsidered unless Europe reversed course.
Failing Upwards
Von der Leyen left German politics as a failed family minister and a defense minister who left the Bundeswehr in shambles. She never delivered substantial reform. Her only political talent: entrenching the status quo while shielding herself from criticism. That’s the strategy she continues to pursue in Brussels.
As EU Commission President, she pushes the Green Deal with missionary zeal -- a transformation agenda that has fueled deindustrialization, energy scarcity, and the impoverishment of Europe’s working classes. She is leaving behind economic scorched earth.
A change of course? Forget it. Von der Leyen tolerates no dissent. That is her style. And it will be her undoing.
Her tenure reflects the Brussels mindset: top-down control, post-democratic elitism, disdain for sovereignty and transparency. Von der Leyen personifies the new European paternalism, where freedom is negotiable and democratic accountability an outdated inconvenience.
Image: European Parliament