Patriots for Europe to table a no-confidence vote as soon as this week

The far-right group Patriots for Europe will table a new vote of no-confidence against Ursula von der Leyen's Commission as soon as this week, several sources from the group told Euronews.

The text is under preparation and could be finalised at the group's bureau meeting on Tuesday in Brussels, according to party sources. Patriots will table the motion in retaliation for the signature of the Mercosur trade deal approved by member states last week and expected to be sealed at a formal ceremony on January 17.

Jordan Bardella, who chairs the group and leads the French National Rally delegation, has accused Brussels and Paris of capitulating the interests of European farmers.

He first envisageda no-confidence vote last week, when the trade agreement was approved by the EU member states, paving the way for its completion after more than 20 years of negotiations. The vote at the European Parliament will be paired with a separate motion of no-confidence tabled by the National Rally at the French Parliament.

In the previous motion pushed tabled by the Patriots for Europe group last October, the formation argued the Commission had ignored “strong and repeated opposition from several national parliaments, from the European Parliament and from European farmers" to the Mercosur which is particularly disliked in France.

Similar language is expected to be included in the new text this week.

The goal is for it to be ready for a vote during the next plenary session in Strasbourg, which is scheduled to take place January 19-22.

The text could also include a reference to "von der Leyen governing style", who has been accused of running a centralised Commission around her figure, a Patriots MEP told Euronews, although the exact wording is being finalised.

According to parliamentary sources, the schedule is tight, and the group is looking to speed up the procedure. It will need 72 signatures to go ahead with the vote, which should not be an issue as Patriots for Europe counts with 85 MEPs.

Still, the signatures will have to be certified by the Parliament’s internal services, and the text of the motion of censure will have to go through a process of validation, which usually requires several days to approve. If that occurs, the vote would likely be postponed to the next plenary session next month scheduled for February 9-12.

If the vote goes ahead, it would be the fourth attempt from the European Parliament to topple von der Leyen’s Commission during this legislature.

The previous three ones held in 2024 did not come close to overthrowing von der Leyen but did create negative zeitgeist for her Commission president initially.

A motion of censure can be tabled if one in 10 members of the Parliament support the request. If it passes, in theory, it would force the entire Commission to resign.

Its approval requires at least two-thirds of the votes cast in the European Parliament, representing a majority of all sitting MEPs, a high threshold that is practically impossible to reach if the major groups, such as the EPP which backs von der Leyen, vote against or abstain.

The chances of this new motion of no-confidence being successful is minimal.

The vote of no confidence tabled by the Patritos for Europe in October resulted in 378 votes against, 179 in favour, and 37 abstentions, with centrist forces uniting to back von der Leyen’s presidency who emerged strengthened in her standing from the vote.