EU lawmaker warns 'Pandora’s box has been opened' as von der Leyen could face no-confidence vote

• Romanian MEP says motion, set to face procedural hurdle on Wednesday, is sign of growing dissatisfaction with von der Leyen’s leadership

BRUSSELS

A possible no-confidence motion against European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen over her refusal to disclose text messages she sent to a pharmaceutical executive is currently under discussion, with Romanian Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Gheorghe Piperea warning that a "Pandora's Box has been opened."

The motion, supported by over 70 MEPs and due to face a procedural hurdle on Wednesday, accuses von der Leyen of breaching EU transparency standards in 2021 by negotiating a multi-billion-euro COVID-19 vaccine deal via text messages with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla.

Despite pressure from lawmakers and the media, the messages were never released.

"An amendment which has a value of something like €35 billion, of course, it's completely unusual to negotiate an amendment to such a big contract by a series of SMSs," Piperea told Anadolu.

In 2025, the European Court of Justice ruled in favor of a New York Times journalist who sued the European Commission for access to the texts. However, Piperea said that the commission has failed to comply with the judgment.

"We are now (at), the distance was something like two months after this decision was given against the European Commission, and the European Commission did nothing in order to disclose those SMS. And this is a problem of a lack of transparency in a democracy like it's supposed to be the European Union, you cannot do something like this," he stressed.

"If a court of justice says something against to you, you have to obey. You have to submit. You don't have the right to disobey and ignore."

'When EU breaks the rule of law, nobody says anything'

He accused the European Commission of hypocrisy, saying Brussels criticizes Eastern European countries over rule of law concerns but shields itself from scrutiny when challenged.

"When the European Union is considering member states like Romania, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and anything like small and medium member states as states which break the rule of law, they are very, very, very tough against those member states, but when the European Union is breaking the rule of law, nobody says anything," he said.

The motion is now awaiting a procedural review by the Conference of Presidents, the European Parliament's top political steering group, which will decide on Wednesday whether it can proceed to debate. If approved, the motion would be placed on the agenda for the next full EP session in Strasbourg, scheduled for July 7-10. Removing the commission requires a two-thirds majority of votes cast and an absolute majority of MEPs.

While the chances of success are slim, Piperea said the symbolic weight of the motion matters.

"The Conference of the Presidents will not accept this motion being shown into the plenary meeting in order to keep folder lines secured, not to be forced to give an explanation about those SMSs. I am almost 100% sure about this."

He also claimed that "pressure" was exerted on some MEPs to withdraw their support for the motion. "At least one of them did it already. You know, it's a guy, an MEP from the EPP (European People's Party), the biggest party in the parliament, and they said: 'If you don't withdraw your signature, you will be excluded from the EPP.'"

'This will be a signal'

Pointing to an increasingly fragmented political landscape within European institutions, Piperea said: "Realistically speaking, I'm not expecting to have a majority, but even if I have, I don't know, maybe a 30% or 40% of the votes of the parliament, this will be a signal. This will be a message.”

He evoked the legend of Pandora's Box, saying: "This Pandora Box is, (at) this very moment, open. Other kind of motions will rise from this Pandora Box, and sometimes, somehow, Ursula von der Leyen will be forced to resign. Because nobody, at this moment, is very pleased to work with Ursula von der Leyen anymore."

Looking ahead, Piperea said the legal route remains open, suggesting that EU treaties provide both citizens and elected officials the right to seek damages in court when harmed by institutional actions.