Faced with the greatest challenge in its power as chairman of the European Commission seems to have been in recent times. Ursula von der Layen.
This at least reveals a Politico report, according to which political groups threaten to withdraw their support for the “iron lady” of the Commission Ursula von der Laen, in a move of intense questioning towards her face for that position.
The reason? Its decision to annul legislation in favor of the climate.
“We are on the verge of an institutional crisis,” Politico told Politico Valerie Saint, President of the Liberal Group Renew Europe.
Von der Laien comes from the center -right European People’s Party (EPP), which is the largest team in the European Parliament, but depends on the votes of the Socialists and the Liberals to promote his positions. The Commission’s ability to propose European legislation is in danger of paralyzing if these groups refuse to work together.
The Commission announced on Friday (20.06.25) that it withdraws the “green claims” directive (Green Claims) – A key law that would oblige companies to prove their environmental claims – although it had already taken many stages of the legislative process.
This move, requested by the EPP on Wednesday, was welcomed by the right -wing European conservatives and reformers as well as by the Marin Lepen and Victor Orban’s far -right “patriots for Europe”.
“If the Commission withdraws the text, we at Renew see this action as a serious blow to the pro -European majority platform,” Hanger said.
The Socialists and the Liberals accuse von der Layen of allies with the forces of the far -right – demanding the complete abandonment of EU green policies – ignoring the will of the teams who elected it.
Although there are no official government coalitions in the European Parliament, the EPP, the Socialists and the Liberals – the traditional pro -European core – are based on each other and signed a cooperation agreement in November.
However, the EPP has repeatedly been drafted with right and far -right groups of parliament to promote measures, form the agenda or reject environmental plans. This was also the case this week, when a report on funding for development projects, two bills on artificial intelligence and patents, and created a new body to control NGO funding.
‘We will stop protecting her’
The withdrawal of the Greenwashing bill may prove to be the drop that overflowed the glass for the Socialists and the Liberals, which have been outraged by other von der Layen’s actions, such as the “Pfizergate” case. In this case, the European Court of Justice has ruled against the Commission for refusing to publicize the president’s messages with the head of Pfizer during the Covid pandemic.
“In the discussion of Pfizergate, we protected it. But if it goes on, we will stop protecting it, “a renew official said. The Socialists and the Liberals may “stop playing the game and make agreements in other folders with the EPP”, which would essentially block the EU legislative process.