Motion of censure on the Commission

The European Parliament rejected a motion of censure against Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker’s team, by 461 votes to 101 with 88 abstentions.

The motion for censure was tabled by 76 EFDD and non-attached Members.

According to Article 119 of the Rules of Procedure, in order to dismiss the Commission, the motion needed to obtain a double majority: two-thirds majority of the votes cast, representing a majority of the component Members of Parliament (i.e. 376).

Members backing the motion of censure complained that the EU Member States have lost billions of euros in potential tax revenues as a result of aggressive corporate tax avoidance schemes in Luxembourg, established during the period in which the new President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, held the office of Prime Minister of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

They judged it unacceptable that a person responsible for putting in place aggressive tax avoidance policies should serve as President of the Commission. Therefore, they had proposed that Parliament adopt this motion of censure on the Commission.