The Left in the European Parliament is collecting signatures for a new censure motion against Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission, with plans to put it to a vote in early October.
At least 72 MEPs’ signatures are needed to submit the motion. If that threshold is reached, the aim is to table it for the 2 October plenary in Strasbourg, according to one group source.
The draft text, obtained by Euractiv, blasts the Commission’s handling of Gaza, accusing it of ignoring Israeli military actions and breaches of international law. It calls for suspending the EU–Israel Association Agreement, imposing sanctions and enforcing an arms embargo.
“The Commission under von der Leyen has lost Parliament’s confidence,” the text reads.
The idea of a censure motion was first floated before the summer break, when Left MEPs sought to topple the Commission over issues including trade policy and Gaza, but the effort failed to take off.
Should the attempt succeed this time around, a dilemma remains: whether to rely on far-right backing to push it through. Von der Leyen already survived a far-right-led censure attempt in July.
Asked whether the Greens would back The Left’s motion, co-chair Bas Eickhout said it “will depend on what happens next week,” pointing to von der Leyen’s upcoming annual address in Parliament on 10 September.
An S&D official said the group has not yet seen the motion and has no position for now.
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