Ursula von der Leyen hit back against a renewed attempt to topple her presidency by making a pitch for political unity at a time when “our adversaries are not only ready to exploit any divisions” but “they are actively inciting those divisions in the first place”.
Von der Leyen faces two simultaneous motions of censure this week, filed by far-right and far-left groups in the European Parliament, just three months after she comfortably survived her first-ever vote of no confidence.
Neither of the two motions is expected to succeed.
“The point of this unity is not necessarily for us to agree on every detail,” the president of the European Commission said on Monday as lawmakers debated the two requests
“In fact, tension and debate (are) an inherent and important part of policy making. But, perhaps more than ever before, it is about the bigger picture.”
Von der Leyen underscored her words by referring to the recent incursions of Russian drones and a speech by Vladimir Putin in which the Russian leader blamed the bloc for “escalating” the war in Ukraine that he initiated.
“This is the oldest trick in the book. Sow division, spread disinformation, create a scapegoat,” she said in Strasbourg.
“All, to turn Europeans against each other, to try to lower our guard while we fight each other, to weaken our resolve and our resilience,” she went on.
“This is a trap. And we simply cannot fall for it.”
Her speech echoed the reply she delivered in July. Back then, she lambasted her detractors for being under the control of “their puppet masters in Russia or elsewhere”.
This time, her intervention was less defiant and more succinct, reflecting the feeling of fatigue among centrist parties, who believe the doomed-to-fail attempts trivialise the parliamentary prerogative to file a motion of censure.
“The point I am making is that we need to focus on what really matters, which is to deliver for Europeans,” she said.
‘You should leave’
The bids tabled by the Patriots for Europe and The Left are bound by their opposition to the trade deals that von der Leyen has concluded with the United States and Mercosur.
On other points, however, they differ.
Jordan Bardella, the leader of the Patriots, assailed the Commission for its handling of irregular migration and its “out-of-control” regulatory agenda.
“Europe is once again the world champion of red tape,” Bardella said.
Meanwhile, Manon Aubry, the co-leader of the Left, accused von der Leyen of conspiring with the extreme right and standing idly by the “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.
“How can you look at an entire people being decimated?” Aubry said.
“Madame von der Leyen, you should leave. Colleagues, it’s time to choose.”
Unlike the debate in July, von der Leyen did not deliver an exhaustive point-by-point response to the criticism. However, she admitted, as she did in the summer, that some of the points raised by her detractors are shared by the centrist coalition that backed her re-election and offered to work more closely together to patch up the frictions.
“I know there are some of you who are still unsure how to vote later this week. But who are also concerned about some of the issues these motions mention in passing,” she said. “I know that they come from a place of genuine and legitimate concern.”
The motions of censure will be voted on separately on Thursday at 12:00 CET.
The European People’s Party (EPP), the Socialists & Democrats (S&D), the liberals of Renew Europe and most parts of the Greens are all expected to vote against.
