The motion of censure against the European Commission tabled in the European Parliament will be debated later on Monday, when Ursula von der Leyen will argue for her political survival in the hemicycle, before MEPs deliver their judgment on Thursday.
The vote must take place at least 48 hours after the start of the debate. All MEPs who signed the motion could in theory still withdraw their support for it, and if the one-tenth threshold is no longer met, the process would be halted.
The voting session will be run by roll call, meaning that every MEP will vote in public. At least two-thirds of the votes cast representing a majority of all MEPs would need to back the motion of censure for it to be adopted.
Nine attempts in the past, only one resignation
There have been nine previous attempts by MEPs to topple the European Commission.
In 1990 the Group of the European Right tried to force the Commission's resignation over Agricultural Policy, but decisively failed, gaining only 16 votes in favour with 243 against.
The most recent attempt took place in November 2014, against the Commission led by Luxembourgish President Jean-Claude Juncker. It was initiated by the Eurosceptic political group Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy in response to the “Luxembourg Leaks” financial scandal, which exposed the country's tax regime. Only 101 of 670 MEPs voted in favour, well below the required threshold.
Other attempts have centred on issues such as the EU budget, the impact of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy in Europe, and the management of Eurostat, the Commission’s statistical office.
Only once in history has a motion of censure resulted in a Commission’s resignation—and that happened without a formal vote in plenary session.
In March 1999, the Commission led by Luxembourgish President Jacques Santer resigned amid fraud allegations and transparency concerns, preempting Parliament’s formal vote. This came despite that Commission having survived three separate motions on other topics in prior years.
