A significant internal crisis is brewing for Manfred Weber, leader of the European Parliament’s largest political group, after senior members of his own faction broke ranks to support a right-wing-led attempt to oust European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The rebellion, spearheaded by the French delegation of the European People’s Party (EPP), has exposed deep fractures within the center-right bloc, fueled by rising anger over the EU’s controversial Mercosur trade deal with South American nations.
The political turmoil erupted last week when a no-confidence motion against von der Leyen, introduced by Jordan Bardella of the Patriots for Europe, was defeated. However, the damage was done when four French EPP members, François-Xavier Bellamy, Laurent Castillo, Christophe Gomart, and Céline Imart, crossed the floor to vote for the removal of the Commissioner.
Bardella, who also leads France’s Rassemblement National, had framed the no-confidence motion as a direct response to von der Leyen’s pursuit of the Mercosur agreement, which he labelled a “catastrophe” for European farmers. His ally, Marine Le Pen, echoed the sentiment, calling the deal “devastating for French farming.”
In a statement defending their move, Bellamy’s office accused von der Leyen of trying to “push through the Mercosur trade agreement without seeking approval from national parliaments.” They stated, “We couldn’t contradict the commitments we took during our campaign… to in particular protect our farmers.”
The defection has provoked a fierce backlash within the EPP, which overwhelmingly voted against the motion. The act is seen as a particularly personal blow to Weber, who had personally appointed Bellamy as both vice-chair of the EPP group and treasurer of the party’s Europe-wide alliance.
“Weber trusted him to be the bridge between the party and the group, and Bellamy simply played his own game—against his own boss,” an MEP told Euractiv, while another said: “In the old days, he would have been stripped of some of his responsibilities.”
Weber demands unwavering support from the EPP for the Commissioner, evidently even at the expense of their own country’s interests. The realism and bravery of the French MEPs is framed as betrayal within the ranks of the largest EU party.
Even among EPP MEPs who supported von der Leyen, frustration simmers. Slovak MEP Miriam Lexmann pointedly remarked that “Ursula von der Leyen must deliver more on the revision of the Green Deal,” highlighting the ongoing policy tensions that threaten the group’s cohesion.
For Weber, the incident represents one of the most severe internal challenges of his leadership. What began as a policy dispute over a trade agreement has rapidly escalated into a direct test of loyalty and discipline. The events in Strasbourg signal that the political fractures within the EU’s dominant political family may run far deeper than previously understood, casting a long shadow over its unity.
