European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is under fire as far-right Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) push for a no-confidence vote, citing the ongoing “Pfizergate” scandal.

The motion, spearheaded by Romanian MEP Gheorghe Pîrperă, follows accusations of secrecy surrounding von der Leyen’s text message exchanges with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine procurement negotiations.

Pîrperă, who claims to have gathered the necessary 72 signatures to table the motion, told the Financial Times, “This is about transparency and upholding a genuine democratic process.” The controversy centers on the Commission’s refusal to disclose the messages, which critics allege point to opaque, backroom dealings in the EU’s multibillion-euro vaccine contracts.

The scandal gained traction after a May 14, 2025, ruling by the EU General Court, which found the Commission acted unlawfully by denying a freedom of information request from New York Times journalist Matina Stevis-Gridneff. The court criticized the Commission’s claim that the messages no longer existed or were not registered as official documents, calling its transparency efforts inadequate.

While von der Leyen enjoys significant support—401 of 720 MEPs backed her 2024 nomination—the motion requires a two-thirds majority to oust the Commission, a high bar to clear. Still, the vote underscores growing tensions, particularly among right-wing factions critical of von der Leyen’s leadership style and the EU’s accountability mechanisms.

As the European Parliament prepares to debate the motion, the Pfizergate affair has sparked broader calls for reform from transparency advocates, who demand better documentation and public access to high-level communications. With von der Leyen’s potential second term on the line, the outcome could shape the EU’s credibility and democratic oversight moving forward. (ILKHA)