The news broke yesterday that some representatives of the liberal Renew Europe group started collecting signatures in the European Parliament to submit a motion of no confidence against the European Commission.
The aim of the motion is for the MEPs to withdraw their confidence from the Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen and to set up a new body.
The fact that the Commission recently approved the 36 billion euro recovery plan of the Poles seems to sting the eyes of the three members of the European Parliament group, which also includes temporary representatives.
According to critical liberals, the Commission should not have done this because the Poles did not meet certain conditions. These conditions are linked to the debate about the Polish rule of law: the liberal representatives complain that the Poles entered into a political dispute with the EU institutions and refused to accept the decision of the European Court of Justice.
According to the representatives of the Let's Renew Europe faction, the Poles - despite the economic challenges after the coronavirus epidemic and the difficulties due to the war situation - would not be able to receive money until they give up their previous position. So, the threat is much more aimed at the Poles and the member states than at the Commission, because it shows that there are MEPs for whom the overthrow of the Commission and pushing the entire EU into a political crisis is an acceptable price, if the issue is the regulation of the member states.
Although this was not revealed in the news, the MEPs who started the signature collection will certainly refer to the improper management of the EU budget against the Commission.
However, the situation is much more complicated than that. On the one hand, it fits well with the European Parliament's efforts to expand its own role and influence at the expense of other EU institutions. On the other hand, it can create a very dangerous precedent , because if the Parliament takes the path of trying to enforce (legally) its objections to the position of the member states through the Commission, it can very easily push the European Union into an institutional and political crisis.
With this, the Parliament practically wants to control the Commission, or at least to keep it under the threat that if it does not act according to its expectations, the entire body can be overthrown within seconds. This is precisely why this institution is called an atomic bomb, because its consequences are unforeseeable: the Parliament can overthrow the Commission, but the selection of the head and members of a new body is no longer a parliamentary right.
A no-confidence motion is possible according to the rules of the European Parliament. This first requires the supporting signature of one-tenth of all MEPs. According to press reports, this is where the case is at the moment, that is, the liberal representatives have started collecting signatures in the ranks of the EP. By the way, this cannot be done secretly or in a hidden way, but they have to write that it is a motion of no confidence.
The initiators must also explain the specific reasons. If the right amount of votes is collected, the representatives will already vote on it at the next plenary session. It is important that voting takes place by name - this also shows its political significance . In order to pass a motion of no confidence, two-thirds of the votes cast and the majority of all representatives are required, so it is not so easy to put together.
Read the full Mandiner article
Author: István Pócza
Image: Youtube
