“The Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened”: Von der Leyen Faces Impeachment Risk

Yves here. Nick Corbishley has been chronicling Ursuala von der Leyen’s scandals and misrule as EU Commissioner. Some of his offerings:

Looking Ahead, But Not Forward, to Five More Years of “Queen” Ursula von der Leyen

EU Commission Plans to Strip Funding From Public Prosecutors Investigating Ursula von der Leyen’s Pfizergate Scandal

Is Justice Finally Catching Up to Ursula von der Leyen?

The post below brings this sorry tale up to its current chapter, that of von der Leyen facing a vote of no confidence in the European Parliament. Alex Christoforou, who had made her a regular Clown World subject, thinks the Commission chief will easily beat back this challenge by accusing opponents of being Putin stooges. The assessment of Politico’s morning European newsletter:

SOCIALISTS AND LIBERALS PILE PRESSURE ON VDL: This Thursday, MEPs will vote on a far-right-backed motion to bring down von der Leyen’s Commission. While both the Socialists and liberals, who on paper at least support her executive agenda, have stated they won’t back the motion, they’re trying to use the opportunity to squeeze political commitments out of the EU executive by threatening to abstain instead, POLITICO’s Max Griera reports.

Deliberations ongoing: The chairs of the European People’s Party, S&D and Renew met on Tuesday night to try to iron out their differences. Both the Socialist and liberal groups will separately meet today to take a final decision on how they will vote.

She’s safe, right? Von der Leyen is expected to survive. Abstentions from her allies in the S&D and Renew groups would not change that, as the motion would need a two-thirds majority in Parliament to pass. Still, the loss of fulsome support would send a strong political message that von der Leyen can’t count on Parliament to back her unconditionally.

What they want: Among other requests, the Socialists want a commitment from von der Leyen to keep intact the European Social Fund as part of the EU’s long-term budget. They fear she will try to cut it. She met political group leaders on Tuesday afternoon, but the Socialists were not happy. “We missed clarity and commitment … If nothing changes, it will be difficult for the S&D to decide not to abstain on Thursday,” a spokesperson for the group told POLITICO.

“Renew will very likely vote against,” said a spokesperson for its group chair, Valérie Hayer. Yet, some of its delegations, such as Ireland’s Fianna Fáil, are pondering whether to abstain, and a final decision will only be taken later today.

Ursula come home: Hayer asked von der Leyen to ensure her own EPP stops passing measures with far-right parties and commits to only working with Socialists and liberals. “Madam President, I must now tell you: nothing is guaranteed. We expect you to take back control, so that at last the political agenda we share with you can truly move forward,” Hayer stressed. Good luck with that.

Green extremes: The far-right Patriots group of Le Pen, Orbán, Salvini & co. seized control of parliamentary talks on the EU’s next climate milestone on Tuesday, sending shockwaves through the Strasbourg chambers. Today, centrist MEPs are mounting a last-ditch effort to blunt the Patriots’ influence on the law — but it all depends on which side the EPP chooses. Zia Weise and Max have more here.

So Politico’s assessment is that von der Leyen will have to make policy concessions to survive. A query to EU-based readers: will von der Leyen emerge unscathed? Or will this action blunt her authority, as Russiagate and impeachment did to Trump 1.0?

By Noor Price, a student at Bielefeld University majoring in political science, and a freelance writer specializing in international politics, EU governance, and power accountability issues

On July 7, 2025, in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, passed a motion teeing up a vote of no confidence against Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, thrust this “technocratic reformer” into the eye of the storm. This marked the first collective accountability mechanism targeting an EU Commission president since 2014, a crisis unparalleled in her political career.

Von der Leyen’s predicament is no coincidence. For years, the “many gates” scandal has drawn her into a self-constructed “systemic decay”—from power privatization to the collapse of transparency pledges, her leadership logic is eroding the trust foundation of the EU.

“Pfizergate”: The Betrayer of Transparency Pledges

In 2021, von der Leyen reached political zenith by leading the EU’s 900-million-dose vaccine procurement contract with Pfizer. Yet this “high point” has now become a dagger in her side. When the European Court ruled that her refusal to disclose text messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla constituted procedural misconduct, the years-long “many gates” storm finally exposed the systemic rot. The court’s verdict struck at the core: her claim of “legal privilege” to withhold communications with Bourla was a blatant disregard for procedural justice. More suspiciously, her absence from a critical hearing in Liège, Belgium, in January 2025 citing “pneumonia” transformed this “silence tactic” into a catalyst for escalating public scrutiny over allegations of “over-purchasing” and “confidentiality clauses.” When power dynamics override transparency principles, the EU’s moral authority reduces to empty rhetoric.

“Piepergate”: The Collapse of Procedural Justice<

The “Piepergate” scandal of 2024 completely dismantled von der Leyen’s elite facade. By parachuting her German CDU ally Marcus Pieper into the SME commissioner role despite his bottom-ranking performance in selection exams, overriding two higher-scoring Swedish and Czech female candidates, she sparked a 382-144 parliamentary condemnation vote. Green and Social Democratic MEPs directly accused her of “opaque procedures.” The irony deepened when she refused to restart the selection process, reducing her “performance-based politics” slogan to ridicule. When political interests override competence and fairness, the EU’s “meritocracy” myth crumbles.

“Queen Ursula”: The Reality of Power Grabbing

Von der Leyen increasingly exhibits a U.S.-style understanding of executive power. Stefan Lehne, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted, “The real power is with the president. Individual commissioners have lost a lot of power; the collegium as such is weaker, the president is stronger.” For instance, her refusal to transfer authority during her 2025 medical leave drew criticism from German Green MEP Gabriele Bischoff as “treating the Commission as a personal stage.” Former Commissioner Thierry Breton openly accused her of “suffocating management,” implying suppression of dissent. Her power expansion transcends internal affairs. In 2023, her unilateral, high-profile visit to Israel, where she adopted a pro-Tel Aviv stance sharply contrasting with EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell’s balanced approach, exemplified systemic contempt for collective decision-making. When European Parliament President Roberta Metsola threatened to sue the Commission over its unilateral €150 billion defense loan plan, the crisis evolved from personal misconduct to a systemic institutional crisis.

“The Revolving Door”: Shadows Over EU Governance

More alarming is the growing scrutiny of von der Leyen’s ties to the U.S. During U.S.-EU tariff negotiations, her attempt to secure “key sector concessions” to delay American sanctions triggered panic among member states over sovereignty concessions. The close relationship between her chief of staff and U.S. national security officials, coupled with family connections to Pfizer and McKinsey, has sparked accusations of a “Brussels-Wall Street revolving door.” From silence on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis to “selective empathy” in Korean and Argentine air disasters, these or explicit allegations, though unproven, have exposed the hypocrisy of the EU’s “values-based diplomacy.”

Von der Leyen’s political trajectory resembles a satirical drama: she once championed “technocratic neutrality,” yet her power privatization has trampled rules; she loudly proclaimed “European sovereignty,” yet she frequently conceded in transatlantic power struggles; she touted “transparency and equality,” yet each scandal has exposed the EU’s institutional rot. This no-confidence crisis is not just her personal downfall but a self-inflicted blow to the EU’s supranational governance model through systemic loopholes.