AUR MEPs signed the motion of censure against Ursula von der Leyen on the Mercosur issue

The delegation joins the Patriots Group in an attempt to dismiss the Commission, invoking "unfair competition" and lack of transparency.

Brussels, January 16, 2026 – MEPs from the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) announced that they have signed and will vote in favor of a motion of censure against the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, regarding the EU-Mercosur agreement. Initiated by the Patriots Group for Europe, the motion targets the controversial conclusion of the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, which AUR representatives claim creates fatal conditions for European agriculture.

In short

AUR MEPs have signed the motion of censure against the Commission, citing the management of the EU-Mercosur agreement.

MEP Georgiana Teodorescu criticizes the approval process as "offensive" and conducted "in secret," without a real debate.

The party warns that the agreement will flood the market with cheap imports, crushing Romanian farmers through unfair competition.

Georgiana Teodorescu, AUR MEP and member of the Agriculture Committee, described the mandate used by the Commission President to sign the agreement as "not only controversial but also offensive." She criticized the disconnect between EU institutions and the reality on the ground, mentioning that while farmers protest in despair over unsold goods, officials "have hidden behind a written procedure" and technical discussions to push the agreement through without a real political debate.

Teodorescu also highlighted a fracture within the Romanian government regarding this agreement. She accused the administration of having given its approval "in secret" through the Minister of Economy (USR), while the Minister of Agriculture (PSD) publicly opposed it. She warned that the provisional application of the agreement will produce "immediate and irreversible effects" before the European Parliament – the only democratically elected institution – can debate it.

The core of AUR's opposition lies in the economic impact on Romanian farmers. Teodorescu argued that local producers, who adhere to strict and costly quality standards, have no chance against imports from South America. "We will be flooded with all those products that we have fought to eliminate over the last decade," she stated. The party warns that this policy amounts to "national undermining," leading to unfair competition from lower-standard products, a collapse of prices that will bankrupt small and medium farms, and a total dependence on external markets for food security.

The motion of censure against the European Commission was submitted on January 14, 2026, by a group of MEPs mainly belonging to the Patriots Group for Europe, and is also supported by members of other right-wing and conservative political groups. Among the signatories are MEPs from France, Italy, Spain, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and other member states. Among the Romanian MEPs, signatories of the motion include Georgiana Teodorescu, Gheorghe Piperea, Claudiu Târziu, Cristian Terheș, and Adrian-George Axinia.

Contextual information The initiators argue that the President of the European Commission and the college of commissioners have managed the completion of the EU-Mercosur agreement in a non-transparent and abusive manner. The document states that the negotiations were concluded without taking into account the opposition expressed by national parliaments, the European Parliament, and farmers' organizations. The motion accuses the Commission of ignoring major changes that have occurred in recent decades regarding environmental standards, animal welfare, and food safety, and that it has not conducted an impact assessment regarding the cumulative effects of trade agreements on European agriculture.

The text of the motion reproaches the Commission for having fragmented the EU-Mercosur agreement into two distinct legal instruments, a partnership agreement and an interim trade agreement, in order to avoid ratification by national parliaments and to reduce the role of the European Parliament to a formal opinion. The document argues that the agreement opens the EU market to agricultural products that do not meet European environmental, social, and health standards, creating unfair competition for European farmers. The safeguard clauses proposed by the Commission in 2025 are also criticized as insufficient and lacking automatic intervention mechanisms. In conclusion, the motion states that these actions represent an overstepping of the competences conferred by treaties and justifies the formulation of a political censure against the Commission.

This is not the first attempt to use the motion of censure as a political tool in the current mandate of the European Parliament. In 2025, Romanian MEP Gheorghe Piperea was one of the initiators of a motion of censure directed against the European Commission, focused on criticisms related to the economic policies and governance of the EU executive. The initiative did not gather the qualified majority necessary for adoption, but it was used to bring political grievances to the plenary and to force a public debate on the role and responsibilities of the Commission.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/stiri/europarlamentarii-aur-au-semnat-motiunea-de-cenzura-impotriva-ursulei-von-der-leyen-pe-tema-mercosur