Conspiracy or Deal of the Century? Why Did the Vote of No Confidence in von der Leyen Fail?

The motion of no confidence against Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, has once again fallen flat. Parliamentarians failed to gather enough support to remove her from office, despite widespread suspicions of her involvement in what some are calling the "scandal of the century." Yet, this does little to hinder her continued leadership of the European Union.

"Ursula, we’re calling it off!" echoed through the European Parliament. The initiative, launched by Romanian deputies, was defeated. Out of 553 deputies, 360 voted against the motion, 175 supported it, and 18 abstained. This was insufficient to oust the incumbent "president" of the European Commission. However, the vote underscored the growing tensions between von der Leyen and leading EU political factions over the vaccine procurement scandal and the course she is steering Europe.

The formal pretext for the motion was the long-standing "PfizerGate" scandal, dating back to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, at the height of the crisis, von der Leyen personally mediated a €35 billion deal with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla for the delivery of nearly two billion vaccine doses. At the time, this deal was hailed as the "deal of the century," but it eventually revealed itself to be the "scandal of the century." With a population of around 450 million, the EU had purchased an excess of vaccine doses—approximately 2 million per capita. According to Politico, at least 215 million doses worth €4 billion were simply discarded, and the negotiations were conducted via messaging apps—an unusual and informal method for such a critical contract. Journalists demanded transparency, asking to see the messages and details of the negotiations. Yet, it turned out that the messages had been lost—if this had been a tender, the documents would have been preserved. All communication had taken place through private messages, raising serious allegations of corruption involving the head of the European Commission.

Fabrice Leggeri, a Member of the European Parliament from France, commented:

"PfizerGate is not an error but an abuse of power. €35 billion of public money was approved via SMS, without a tender, without a mandate, and without transparency. The European Court confirmed this. You acted alone, outside any democratic framework."

Ironically, this scandal did not prevent von der Leyen from being re-elected in 2024. Moreover, she remains virtually untouchable, whereas in any civilized country, such conduct would entail not only resignation but potentially criminal charges.

Von der Leyen has a track record of avoiding accountability—her corruption-related controversies stretch back to her time in Germany. For instance, she once promoted the bizarre idea of equipping German tanks with seats for pregnant tank crews. As Defense Minister, she hired external management consultants from the United States—again, without a tender—and hundreds of millions of euros flowed from the German budget. When the Bundestag launched an investigation, von der Leyen’s official mobile phones were confiscated, but their contents were "accidentally" deleted. She assured the parliamentary committee that her messages contained nothing of importance. And what was the result? Nothing. Her career continued its ascent, boosting her ambitions further.

“Ms. von der Leyen represents certain financial circles,” says Ruslan Pankratov, a researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries and a former deputy of the Riga City Council. “It’s clear that if she were caught up in these corruption scandals alone, she would have been ousted long ago. She is part of a corrupt, cynical system—‘nothing personal, just business.’ Naturally, she has powerful patrons supporting her.”

Nonetheless, the accusations against her extend far beyond "PfizerGate" and missing billions. Critics argue that von der Leyen has effectively usurped power within the EU. Fabrice Leggeri asserts:

"Europe is governed from behind the scenes, away from the people's eyes. Your authority and that of your commission have become tools of private interests and ideology, often alien to our civilization. What you call a transition, many Europeans see as punishment. What you label as 'green' policies are perceived by farmers, artisans, and industrialists as suffocation. And what you claim as European values often resemble censorship over a populace daring to think differently."

Despite the mounting opposition, von der Leyen remains in office, with deputies threatening to resubmit motions of no confidence. Yet, her team within the European Commission, with her as the undisputed leader, wields nearly unlimited influence over EU policy. She has strategically placed allies within the Commission and divided key responsibilities among trusted individuals. This story starkly reveals that beneath the veneer of European democracy lie various forms of corruption, scheming, and nepotism—proof that, in the shadows, the pandemic vaccines remain uninvented.