Betraying European Farmers: Why von der Leyen Must Go
While the long shadow of ‘Pfizergate’ also looms over the European Commission president, Patriots for Europe remind of the mismanaged Mercosur deal as the vote of no-confidence date draws closer.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen arrives to deliver a speech during a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on October 6, 2025.
Romeo Boetzle / AFP
While the long shadow of ‘Pfizergate’ also looms over the European Commission president, Patriots for Europe remind of the mismanaged Mercosur deal as the vote of no-confidence date draws closer.
This week, the European Parliament is gearing up for a vote that could redefine EU politics: MEPs will have to make a decision on a motion of censure against Ursula von der Leyen.
As we reported, Patriots for Europe, the largest right-wing group in the EPP that tabled the motion, is in full attack mode on the president, with a four-day social media campaign ahead of the vote, focusing on the issues von der Leyen mishandled during her stints as Commission chief.
Pfizergate, the scandal that has become a byword for opacity, favoritism, and moral decay in Brussels, has already been highlighted by PfE.
But suspicions of corruption are not the only reason why von der Leyen should “go”: the EU-Mercosur trade deal also illustrates that the president is unfit for the role.
❌ | TIME TO GO. Mercosur signed behind closed doors. Farmers sold out. Sovereignty tossed aside. No mandate. Brussels dares to call it “progress.” We know it’s surrender. #stopvonderleyen#Patriotspic.twitter.com/Ip6uXPqJlb
As the Commission rushes to present the pact as a diplomatic success, growing numbers of MEPs and European farmers see it as a symbol of betrayal—a deal that weakens Europe’s own producers while violating the environmental principles Brussels claims to uphold.
Under the agreement, the EU will remove tariffs on imports from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, opening its market to millions of tonnes of beef, soy and ethanol. In exchange, European industries will gain limited access to South American markets. But critics argue that the pact is economically and morally incoherent: it forces European farmers to meet strict climate and labour standards while allowing imports produced under far looser rules. The result, they say, is unfair competition that rewards deforestation and undercuts European sustainability efforts. For many, the deal embodies the hypocrisy of a Commission that imposes green restrictions at home while outsourcing emissions abroad.
Diplomatic insiders reveal that the push for the agreement came directly from von der Leyen’s inner circle, particularly chief of staff Björn Seibert, who viewed it as a strategic win against China’s growing influence in Latin America. Yet the timing—days before a no-confidence vote—has raised suspicions that the initiative was more about political optics than substance. Several member states, notably France and Ireland, have expressed deep reservations about the deal’s impact on agriculture and the environment. Even within the European People’s Party, traditional allies of the Commission, frustration is mounting over what some describe as “a green double standard with red numbers.”
Brussels has clearly not held its own president to the same standards it demands from member states: transparency, responsibility, and truth. As the Strasbourg vote approaches, the controversy over Mercosur only adds to a mounting sense of fatigue with von der Leyen’s failed presidency.
Javier Villamor is a Spanish journalist and analyst. Based in Brussels, he covers NATO and EU affairs at europeanconservative.com. Javier has over 17 years of experience in international politics, defense, and security. He also works as a consultant providing strategic insights into global affairs and geopolitical dynamics.
