Brussels: Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have voted against a motion of censure directed at the European Commission, dismissing the proposal with 165 votes in favor and 390 against, while 10 members abstained from voting.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the motion was initiated by the Patriots for Europe political group, which challenged the legitimacy of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. This agreement, approved by EU Member States on January 9 and subsequently signed on January 17 in Paraguay, was at the center of the group's concerns. Prior to the vote, a plenary debate took place on January 19 with European Commissioner Maro‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦¡ ‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬¦ efcovic.
The procedural requirements for a motion of censure, as outlined in Parliament's Rules of Procedure, state that such a motion can be presented to the President by one-tenth of the Parliament's members, currently totaling 72 MEPs. For the motion to pass, it must achieve a two-thirds majority of the votes cast, also constituting a majority of the Parliament's component members. Despite the efforts of the Patriots for Europe group, the motion did not garner the necessary support to be adopted.