Overview

• Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea filed the censure motion over alleged opacity and abuse of power in Pfizer vaccine talks, winning support from 76 MEPs
• The European People’s Party and Socialists & Democrats have pledged to oppose the motion, leaving it short of the majority needed in the July 10 vote
• Von der Leyen dismissed critics as extremists promoting conspiracy theories, defended her joint and science-based pandemic contracts and called for EU unity on trade and security challenges
• A May ruling by the European Court of Justice criticized the Commission for withholding von der Leyen’s text messages with Pfizer’s CEO, intensifying the ‘Pfizergate’ scrutiny
• The debate laid bare divergences over the EU Green Deal, migration policy and cross-party alliances with extreme factions