January 22, 2026, 1:09 p.mJanuary 22, 2026, 1:09 p.m
The fourth vote of no confidence against the EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen failed.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.Image: keystone
A clear majority in the European Parliament in Strasbourg rejected the motion of censure from MEPs from right-wing groups over the Commission’s approach to the free trade agreement with the four Mercosur states Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Two thirds of the votes cast would have been necessary for the application to be successful. 390 of the parliamentarians voted against the motion, 165 for it. Ten abstained.
In the last three votes in July and October, Commission President von der Leyen had between 360 and 383 MPs behind her and her team. Between 133 and 179 had expressed their no confidence.
This time, the process was initiated by 110 MPs from the far-right alliance “Patriots for Europe”, the “European Conservatives and Reformers” and “Europe of Sovereign Nations” factions.
With the motion of censure they wanted to force the Commission to resign because of its approach to the free trade agreement with the four Mercosur states of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. The accusation is, among other things, that the resistance of national parliaments, the European Parliament and European farmers was ignored.
Criticism of the Commission for Mercosur Agreement
The agreement was signed on Saturday. On Wednesday, however, the European Parliament decided by a narrow majority to refer the agreements to the European Court of Justice for a legal review. Waiting for the ECJ opinion could significantly delay the ratification process of the agreement with the four Mercosur states Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Theoretically, however, it could be applied provisionally beforehand if the EU Commission makes a corresponding decision. This is still open. (sda/dpa)
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