European Commission President Von der Leyen Survives Confidence Vote

The motion alleged that von der Leyen exchanged secret texts with Pfizer’s CEO, misused EU funds, and interfered in elections in Romania and Germany.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference with Norway's prime minister at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels on Apr. 7, 2025. Nicolas Tucat/ AFP via Getty Images

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has survived a confidence vote in the European Parliament, quashing a censure motion that could have forced her resignation.

The motion, spearheaded by conservative MEPs and supported by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on Thursday fell well short of the two-thirds majority required to pass.

The motion alleged misconduct by von der Leyen, including alleged undisclosed text messages with Pfizer’s CEO during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the alleged misuse of EU recovery and defense funds, and alleged interference in elections in Romania and Germany.

Out of 553 lawmakers, 360 MEPs voted against the motion, 175 voted in favor, and 18 abstained.

Von der Leyen previously led the EU’s vaccine rollout for around 450 million people during the COVID-19 pandemic. The vote drew sharp criticism from von der Leyen and her political group, the European People’s Party (EPP), the largest faction in the European Parliament.

Von der Leyen, who did not attend the vote in parliament, shared a statement on social media platform X afterward.

“In a moment of global volatility and unpredictability, the EU needs strength, vision, and the capacity to act,” she said. “We need everyone to deliver on our common challenges. Together. As external forces seek to destabilize and divide us, it is our duty to respond in line with our values. Thank you, and long live Europe.”

Von der Leyen has faced resignation calls from the motion’s sponsor, Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, and the third-largest group in parliament, Patriots for Europe.

Peperea has previously said that the EU “decision-making process has become opaque and discretionary and raises fears of abuse and corruption.”

Von der Leyen dismissed Peperea’s comments, saying they are aimed at “polarizing society, eroding trust in democracy with false claims about election meddling, attempting to rewrite the history [of] how a successful Europe overcame the pandemic together.”

While von der Leyen has dodged the immediate threat, the vote highlighted deepening divisions within the parliament and growing discontent over the direction of EU governance.

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The commission’s decision to freeze Hungary’s access to billions of euros in EU funds, citing concerns about rule-of-law compliance, remains a point of contention, particularly for leaders like Orban.

Orban, who also called for von der Leyen’s resignation, has condemned “corruption scandals piling up around the President.”

Valérie Hayer, leader of the Renew Europe group in the European Parliament, welcomed the rejection of the censure motion, but added that the group’s support for von der Leyen is not unconditional.

“We demand that she take control of her political family to put an end to alliances with the far right; respect for the majority that elected her; the implementation of our ambitious pro-European agenda,” Hayer said on social media site X.

The Europe of Sovereign Nations group, which backed the censure, described the result as a “missed opportunity.” In a statement on X, ESN criticized MEPs who “promised to oppose” von der Leyen but ultimately voted to keep her in power.

“ESN stood firm. Others backed down,” the group said, while congratulating the 175 MEPs who backed the motion.

EPP leader Manfred Weber said his group will stay focused on delivering for the people.

Votes of no confidence in the European Commission have occurred roughly nine times in the bloc’s history.

In early 1999, a looming censure motion led the commission, then headed by Jacques Santer, to resign en masse on March 15 before the European Parliament could proceed with a formal vote.

Von der Leyen, who served as Germany’s defense minister from 2013 to 2019, has held the role of European Commission president since 2019.