This explains a lot. This is a chart of the EU commissioners by political party, I made this today and it includes a few judgements. The EPP have a voting majority on the Commission. In addition, there is a creeping Presidentialisation of European politics which in my opinion concedes too much power to the singular leader of political authorities.
I made this using google for facts, and excel as the chart drawing tool, it includes my judgements in one or two cases. Please feel free to use, a credit would be nice.
Von Der Leyen was confirmed as President of the Commission by a centre left alliance consisiting of pro-EU parties; these things are done as a deal, which impacts the selection of the President of the Council, and the Parliament. [Ref}
In November 2026, a couple of things are playing out,
- https://www.politico.eu/article/ursula-von-der-leyen-wins-no-confidence-vote/
- But https://www.euractiv.com/news/far-right-offers-metsola-third-term-in-exchange-for-more-power/ & https://www.ceps.eu/this-weeks-motion-of-censure-in-the-european-parliament-was-a-proxy-war/ , the latter article says,
This week’s motion of censure against President Ursula von der Leyen’s Commission was not about vaccines but rather a proxy war over the emerging centre-to-far-right alliances in the European Parliament (EP), with the far right exploiting the tool to destabilise and divide. Many MEPs —particularly from the centre left— also opted to abstain to signal their discontent without formally breaking ranks.
Overall, the debacle reflects a deepening rift between the EPP and the S&D, Renew and the Greens, signalling a new, increasingly polarised, even hostile, dynamic within the EP. But it also reveals a deeper unease with von der Leyen’s leadership style – never have so many MEPs withheld their support from a Commission President in such a visible way.
- The vote on the omnibus bill, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20251106IPR31296/sustainability-reporting-and-due-diligence-meps-back-simplification-changes from the EP, represents a further coalescence of the rightward shift of the EPP, led of course by the German CDU. [I need a political commentary, it seems I did not forward them to diigo.]