IRISH MEPS ARE divided on next week’s motion of confidence in European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. 

The motion, launched by the right-wing MEP Gheorghe Pipera of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) parliamentary grouping, is mostly symbolic.

Pipera brought forward the motion over a recently annulled European Commission decision that denied a journalist access to text messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the Covid-19 pandemic, events that are popularly referred to as ‘Pfizergate’.

Every European Commissioner, including Ireland’s Michael McGrath and President von der Leyen, would have to resign if next week’s vote is successful. However, the majority of European Parliament groupings are set to support the Commission.

Two-thirds of the votes cast are required to force the President and the Commissioners to resign.

It has been over a decade since the last motion of confidence in the Commission.

Where do Irish MEPs fall? 

In a joint statement, Fine Gael’s four MEPs, Seán Kelly, Maria Walsh, Regina Doherty and Nina Carberry, urged all Irish MEPs to reject the motion of censure. 

“The motion has been tabled by far-right members of the European Parliament in a bid to destabilise the EU for political gain,” they said. 

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil’s four MEPs, Barry Andrews, Barry Cowen, Billy Kelleher and Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, are set to decide their approach after von der Leyen participates in a debate about her leadership in Strasbourg on Monday.

Likewise, Independent MEP Michael McNamara and Labour Party MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin told The Journal they are both undecided. 

“I don’t yet know what I will do. Last summer, in the vote on von der Leyen, I voted against her and abstained on the vote on the Commission and my views haven’t changed,” McNamara said.

“In any event, the vote, which requires a two-thirds majority, will be resoundingly defeated,” he added. 

Ó Ríordáin said he is opposed to von der Leyen but that there is deep concern in his Socialists & Democrats grouping in the European Parliament about “supporting and cooperating with the far-right”.

Sinn Féin’s two MEPs, Lynn Boylan and Kathleen Funchion, have confirmed they will vote no confidence in von der Leyen, as will Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly. 

Boylan and Funchion argued that the current Commission is “complicit in the genocide in Gaza” and actively violating international law by that complicity.

“Ursula von der Leyen has given Israel diplomatic and political cover at every turn as they have engaged in mass murder in Gaza and she should be removed from office,” Boylan said.

The two Sinn Féin MEPs also argued that the issue raised in the censure motion around the Pfizergate scandal is a “prime example of the lack of transparency of this Commission”.

“The former Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly previously criticised the lack of transparency in the Commission and the role of Ursula von der Leyen in creating a culture where power is highly centralised and the Commission’s work is done in an opaque manner,” they said.

“I will gladly vote to censure Ursula von der Leyen and her Commission, which has done so much damage to the European Union, serves only the interests of multinationals and not citizens and is actively complicit in Israel’s genocide in Gaza,” Boylans added. 

Independent MEP Luke Ming Flanagan did not respond to The Journal‘s request for comment.