Ursula von der Leyen will face a vote of no confidence in the European Parliament (EP) next Thursday (10 July), six officials told Politico.

The latest challenge to the European Commission (EC) president means she will have to appear in a debate on her leadership among lawmakers in Strasbourg. The debate, set for Monday (7 July), will be followed by a vote three days later.

It is the first time in more than a decade that the head of the Commission has faced such a vote.

At this stage, the vote is largely symbolic - a majority of political groups have already signalled they will vote against the no-confidence motion - but it underlines the growing anger against Von der Leyen in Brussels after a series of controversial moves and scandals.

If passed, the vote of no confidence would lead to the resignation of the entire Commission and trigger the complex process of appointing 27 new European commissioners. 

Romanian right-wing lawmaker Gheorghe Pipere submitted the motion for a no-confidence vote after collecting enough signatures last week to express his outrage at Von der Leyen's secret messages from 2021 to Albert Burla, CEO of pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. These relate to discussions about the supply of vaccines in Europe at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. | BGNES