• Ursula von der Leyen survives the European Parliament's first no-confidence vote in over a decade.
• The motion was brought by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea over transparency issues regarding vaccine negotiations.
• The vote was largely symbolic, reflecting dissatisfaction with von der Leyen's leadership style.
• A majority of lawmakers rejected the motion, with 360 voting against and 175 in favor.
• Critics claim von der Leyen's ties to the far-right run counter to her agenda of unity.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen comfortably survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament on Thursday, with the motion failing to gain the necessary two-thirds majority. The vote, which showed strong opposition to her leadership, ended with 360 votes against and 175 in favor, while 18 lawmakers abstained, according to AA and Reuters.

The motion was initiated by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea from the far-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, who criticized von der Leyen over a perceived lack of transparency, particularly surrounding text messages exchanged with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during COVID-19 vaccine negotiations. The refusal to disclose these communications has led to accusations of opaque decision-making and raised concerns about trust in EU governance, according to TRT Global and SCMP.

During her remarks in parliament, von der Leyen characterized the no-confidence motion as a politically motivated attempt to sow division among EU member states, slamming its supporters as proponents of conspiracy theories and labelling them "anti-vaxxers," according to Le Monde and AA.

Despite the lack of majority support for the no-confidence motion, von der Leyen faced criticism even from traditionally allied groups about her leadership approach and increasing cooperation with far-right factions, suggesting a shift in political alliances within the EU. This sentiment was articulated by leaders such as Iratxe García Pérez, who expressed alarm at the growing ties between von der Leyen's center-right faction and the far-right, reflecting ongoing tensions in the European Parliament, according to SCMP and Reuters.