The European Union is in turmoil as a dramatic campaign unfolds within the European Parliament to remove Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This unprecedented political storm is fueled by allegations of corruption, secretive dealings with Big Pharma, and a stunning rebuke from the EU’s own judiciary. The controversy has reached fever pitch, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán publicly calling for von der Leyen’s resignation and a no-confidence vote looming in Strasbourg.
1. The No-Confidence Gambit: Parliament in Revolt
- A motion of censure against von der Leyen’s Commission has been tabled in the EU Parliament, triggering a rare and highly public debate about her leadership and the integrity of the EU’s executive branch.
- The motion, spearheaded by a coalition of mainly far-right and nationalist MEPs, cites “Pfizergate”—the scandal over secretive vaccine negotiations—as the central reason for demanding her ouster.
- The vote is historic: Only once before has a Commission President been forced out by Parliament. The threshold for success is daunting: a two-thirds majority of all MEPs. Yet, the mere fact of the motion signals a deep fracture in EU politics.
2. Viktor Orbán’s Provocation: “It’s Time to Leave”
- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a perennial critic of Brussels, detonated a political bomb by posting a portrait of von der Leyen on X with the message: “It’s time to leave”.
- Orbán’s attack is not just personal—it’s a rallying cry for nationalist and Eurosceptic forces across the continent, who accuse von der Leyen of corruption, incompetence, and overreach on issues from migration to Ukraine and EU economic policy.
- The timing is strategic: Orbán’s post comes just days before the no-confidence vote, amplifying the pressure on von der Leyen and exposing the deep rifts between Western Europe’s establishment and its Eastern challengers.
3. The “Pfizergate” Scandal: Secret SMS and Judicial Condemnation
The Alleged SMS Cover-Up
- At the heart of the crisis is the explosive revelation that von der Leyen exchanged private SMS messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the frenzied COVID-19 vaccine negotiations in 2021.
- These messages, believed to contain details of multi-billion-euro vaccine deals, were never made public. The Commission claimed the texts were “short-lived” and not subject to EU transparency rules.
- The New York Times and transparency advocates challenged this secrecy, demanding full disclosure. The Commission stonewalled, fueling suspicions of backroom deals and eroding public trust.
The Court’s Scathing Verdict
- On May 14, 2025, the EU’s top court delivered a thunderous rebuke: the Commission’s refusal to release the von der Leyen–Pfizer texts “failed to show transparency” and was not in accordance with EU rules.
- The court sided with The New York Times, declaring the Commission’s explanations “not plausible” and slamming its “vague, changing, or imprecise information” about the existence and content of the messages.
- This ruling is a landmark for institutional accountability, exposing the Commission’s opacity and dealing a heavy blow to von der Leyen’s credibility at the worst possible moment.
4. Political Fallout: Allies Defect, Critics Scent Blood
- Mainstream parties in the Parliament—while expected to ultimately shield von der Leyen from removal—have not spared her from harsh criticism. Even her own coalition partners have condemned her “centralized and opaque” leadership style and her willingness to negotiate with right-wing parties.
- The opposition, meanwhile, is energized. Nationalists, populists, and anti-vaccine campaigners are seizing on “Pfizergate” as proof of endemic corruption at the heart of the EU.
- The spectacle of a sitting Commission President fighting for her survival, under fire from both the judiciary and Parliament, is unprecedented in recent EU history.
5. Conclusion: The EU’s Crisis of Confidence
The attempt to topple Ursula von der Leyen is more than a political drama—it is a symptom of a deeper crisis of legitimacy and transparency within the EU. With nationalist leaders like Orbán openly calling for her head and the judiciary exposing the rot of secretive governance, the EU faces a reckoning. Whether von der Leyen survives the no-confidence vote or not, the era of backroom deals and opaque leadership in Brussels may be coming to a sensational end.