European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survived two no-confidence motions in the European Parliament on Thursday, as lawmakers from both the far-right and far-left failed in their attempts to remove her.
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The votes mark the third time that von der Leyen has faced — and survived — such challenges since beginning her second five-year term as head of the European Union’s executive arm.
She is the first Commission chief in over a decade to face any no-confidence motions, underlining both the intensity of political divisions in the current Parliament and her ability to maintain a governing majority.
Strong parliamentary support
Both motions of censure fell well short of the two-thirds majority required to unseat her.
In the first vote, 378 members of the 720-seat Parliament supported von der Leyen and her team of commissioners, while 383 backed her in the second.
Those numbers represent a slight improvement compared to July, when 360 lawmakers voted against a similar motion largely spearheaded by far-right groups.
However, the support level remains below the 401 votes she received in July 2024, when re-elected as Commission president.
The hard-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) group secured 179 votes in favour of its motion, while the leftist alliance known as The Left gathered support from 133 lawmakers.
Even combined, the two groups would have fallen far short of the roughly 480 votes needed to reach the two-thirds threshold for removal.
Divided opposition, unified majority
Although both motions were widely expected to fail, analysts and lawmakers noted they reflected broader unease within the European Parliament about von der Leyen’s leadership.
Some warned that repeated censure efforts risked destabilising legislative cooperation between the European Commission and Parliament, whose backing is vital for passing new laws.
The Patriots for Europe accused von der Leyen of allowing uncontrolled migration that they claimed “has exploded” under her leadership, saying it threatens “our identity and security.”
The group also charged that she had “abandoned farmers and consumers” through environmental policies they argued jeopardised food safety and competitiveness.
In contrast, the Left group’s motion criticised von der Leyen for approving “detrimental trade deals” and for what it called a failure “to act against the Israeli government’s systemic violations of international law in Gaza.”
Centrist coalition holds firm
Despite the criticism, von der Leyen retained firm backing from the Parliament’s dominant pro-European centrist blocs.
These groups dismissed the censure attempts as political manoeuvres by fringe factions seeking attention rather than accountability.
Their combined majority ensured von der Leyen’s survival once again, reinforcing her political standing in Strasbourg and Brussels as she continues to steer the EU through a volatile period marked by migration pressures, global trade disputes, and renewed geopolitical tensions.
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