French ECR Delegation Supports Patriots for Europe Censure Motion Against Von der Leyen – Gateway Hispanic

On Thursday, October 9, 2025, the French delegation from the Identity and Democracy/Conservatives and Reformists Europe (IDL/ECR) cast their votes in favor of a censure motion initiated by the Patriots for Europe (PfE) against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Here is the translation of the statement:

Statement

This Thursday, we will be voting against von der Leyen and the extreme left.

On October 9, both the Patriots for Europe and the extreme left group La France Insoumise will independently present their own motions of censure against Ursula von der Leyen.

Our Identité Libertés MEPs—Marion Maréchal, Nicolas Bay, Laurence Trochu, and Guillaume Peltier—are committed to supporting the PfE’s motion of censure due to concerns over mass immigration and the dismantling of a European Commission that has bowed to U.S. trade agreements, imposed the Green Deal, and advanced the Mercosur agreement. These concerns warrant a censure, alongside the additional critique offered. However, it is important to note that we will not ally our voices with those of the extreme left, who tend to fixate on their usual Islamo-leftist grievances.

Only a right-wing coalition can steer the EU towards a more favorable path. With ECR’s support in the European Parliament, we have begun to transcend the existing frameworks. The right must persist in advocating for a unified stance on identity, security, economic prosperity, and the defense of individual freedoms. As France is mired in institutional chaos, and Europe faces the risk of disappearing from historical relevance, it has become imperative to rid our institutions of leftist ideologies.

Marion Maréchal
Guillaume Peltier
Nicolas Bay
Laurence Trochu
ECR Group
Identité Libertés

This represents the third censure motion in under a year, signaling deepening rifts within the EU’s political class.

While it is highly improbable that the motion will pass—requiring a two-thirds majority from the 720 MEPs—it underscores a growing conservative backlash against what critics label von der Leyen’s “globalist agenda,” favoring unelected bureaucrats over the sovereignty of member states. The PfE, which holds a significant 85 seats as the third-largest group in the Parliament, filed the motion on September 10, 2025, moments before a similar motion from The Left group.

Led by Jordan Bardella of France’s National Rally, the PfE claims von der Leyen has committed “triple betrayal”: against farmers through deleterious trade agreements, against consumers via rampant inflation, and against the environment through duplicitous green policies.

“Nothing healthy can emerge from these backroom deals. We must halt negotiations and enable the French people to express their opinions: while politicians debate, the French suffer. We demand a return to the ballot boxes!” Bardella urged.

Von der Leyen’s second term, which commenced in 2024 with much anticipation, has since been overshadowed by controversies and political miscalculations.

The PfE motion dredges up the infamous “Pfizergate,” originating from a May 2025 ruling by the General Court that overturned the Commission’s refusal to disclose communications between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the COVID-19 vaccine negotiation process.

These interactions, concerning 1.8 billion doses valued at €35 billion, were declared essential for transparency according to EU’s access-to-documents protocols.

At the heart of the accusations lies the realm of trade policy. The EU-Mercosur agreement, finalized in December 2024 under von der Leyen’s leadership, permits European markets to accept hormone-treated beef and soy linked to deforestation from South America, thus devastating farmers already weighed down by Green Deal regulations.

The PfE contends that such agreements “hand over European industry to foreign interests,” a sentiment echoed in protests that paralyzed France and Germany last year. Similarly, the EU-US trade framework is criticized for being “asymmetrical,” favoring U.S. tariffs while exposing European agriculture to undue competition.

Immigration has become another contentious issue. In 2025, illegal crossings have surged to record levels under von der Leyen’s watch, with Frontex reporting over 1.2 million detections despite the recently passed “disastrous” Migration Pact.

PfE asserts that this agreement accelerates “mass immigration” without securing borders, thus threatening “our identity and security.” Bardella, whose National Rally emerged victorious in France’s 2024 elections, frames it as a direct assault on national sovereignty.

The backing from the French ECR delegation strengthens PfE’s bid, which consists of hardline conservatives from parties like Reconquête. This faction, integral to the ECR, has long condemned von der Leyen’s “warmongering” and her lack of accountability.

Their vote aligns with the ECR’s strategy of not enforcing a party line, thus allowing national delegations to make independent decisions driven by their own beliefs.

In a prior unsuccessful censure attempt in July, driven by the Romanian and Polish factions of the ECR, 175 MEPs supported the ouster—most of whom are PfE members. Present projections indicate that as many as 237 might oppose von der Leyen should fractures within ECR deepen.

The formation of PfE in July 2024 unified France’s National Rally (31 MEPs), Hungary’s Fidesz (10), and Austria’s Freedom Party (6), among others, into a sovereignist coalition.

Backed by Viktor Orbán, who condemned von der Leyen’s September State of the Union address as “radically pro-war,” this coalition is calling for a transfer of powers back to member states.

Gál, a notable figure from Fidesz, cautions that the EU is “weaker than ever,” with von der Leyen’s policy decisions “destroying the continent’s economy” and undermining national sovereignty.

Centrist allies, including the EPP, S&D, Renew, and Greens, are poised to defend von der Leyen, as evidenced by the 360 who supported her in July. However, fissures are beginning to surface: Iratxe García of S&D has hinted at potential future censures if trade or policies regarding Gaza do not meet expectations. Renew has characterized these motions as a “bi-monthly game” that degrades Parliamentary procedures.

This unprecedented dual censure approach—where PfE and The Left converge on trade dissatisfaction—reveals that this is not merely formal posturing. It lays bare von der Leyen’s precarious balancing act: aligning herself with the far-right ECR on migration while potentially alienating agricultural interests and stoking populism. As Bardella has emphatically stated, “Europeans deserve better.”

Although von der Leyen will likely survive Thursday’s vote, it seems to be more of a narrow escape than a resounding victory. The ultimate judgment will come from Europe’s citizens, who are weary of overreaching Brussels governance.

In reflecting on this political drama, the irony is striking: a German technocrat, elevated to power by the elites, now finds herself besieged by nationalists demanding transparency and accountability.

Von der Leyen’s tenure is tainted with the same opacity she castigates in her opponents, from undisclosed Pfizer communications to overseeing trade deals signed without consulting distressed farmers.

If von der Leyen clings to her position, it will not signify a success; rather, it will be merely a temporary stay for a Commission that has long since squandered its legitimacy. Europe urgently requires leaders who prioritize the interests of nations over the narratives constructed by bureaucrats.

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