European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament, with 360 members backing her and only 175 in favor of the motion—far below the required two-thirds threshold.
The motion was triggered by controversy over undisclosed messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during the EU’s multi-billion-euro Covid-19 vaccine procurement. A recent EU court ruling found the Commission at fault for not releasing the texts.
Von der Leyen defended herself in Parliament, calling the accusations politically driven and accusing Russia of backing the effort to oust her. Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán joined the opposition, harshly criticizing her leadership on issues from Ukraine policy to economic mismanagement. Despite the backlash, von der Leyen remains in office.