European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will be left reeling as up to half of the European Parliament fail to back her in an upcoming no-confidence vote, according to the man behind the motion.
Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea said his no confidence motion on July 10 would fail but would leave von der Leyen with “very weak legitimacy”.
Talking to Brussels Signal on July 9, Piperea said that between 180 and 230 MEPs were expected to vote to sack the entire EC in Strasbourg — well short of the required two thirds majority. According to his calculations, around 250 MEPs would vote against the motion and thereby back the Brussels executive that von der Leyen leads.
But the number of abstentions, Piperea said, could reach as high as 125 MEPs — more than previously thought. If these numbers turned out to be accurate, close to half of the assembly’s members would have refused to give von der Leyen their explicit backing.
“The motion will fall and Ursula von der Leyen will stay, but with very weak legitimacy,” Piperea said. “The abstentions are a hidden motion of censure.”
Asked for a more detailed breakdown, he confirmed reports of splits across several political groups.
While “100 per cent” of the right-wing Patriots for Europe group was expected to back the motion “including the French and the Hungarians”, support within Piperea’s own European Conservatives and Reformists Group was expected to come in at “80 per cent”, he said.
Italian members of the ECR group have criticised the motion as poorly timed.
The other right-wing group, the Europe of Sovereign Nations, was also said to be split, with Piperea saying he expected “some” to back the no-confidence motion.
Among the groups that backed von der Leyen’s renewed mandate in July last year, the majority were expected to back her again but “some will vote against” and others will abstain, he added.
Piperea would not reveal how he had arrived at the 125 abstentions figure. “Someone told me,” he said.
Von der Leyen on July 9 was reported to be handing out concessions to wavering MEPs in an attempt to shore up her support.
Unlike her confirmation ballot as President, which was secret, the positions of those voting will be made public via “roll call”.
“Time to go,” wrote Hungarian PM Viktor Orbàn — von der Leyen’s nemesis — on X on July 9.
Time to go. pic.twitter.com/utLYFKQz6b
— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 9, 2025
