BRUSSELS — Ursula von der Leyen and the European Commission have survived a no-confidence vote in the European Parliament, with 175 MEPs voting in favour of the motion of censure, 360 against and 18 abstentions.

Votes in favor were well below the two-thirds majority of all votes cast required for the motion to be successful.

Von der Leyen, who was not present in the hemicycle during the vote, is safe for now. But the vote has undoubtedly weakened her and left questions over support for her agenda in the Parliament.

The Socialists and Democrats group extracted a pledge on the next long term budget in exchange for their support, a promise that will be put to the test next week when the Commission proposal is due to be published.

The right-wing groups Patriots for Europe and Europe of Sovereign Nations, plus many of The European Conservatives and Reformists and a few delegations from the Left, voted in favor of the motion. — Euronews