The EU's national conservative group jointly led by Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy and Poland’s Law & Justice party is divided over a bid to bring down Ursula von der Leyen's European Commission.

32 of the European Conservative and Reformist group’s 79 lawmakers in the European Parliament have co-signed the motion of no-confidence tabled on Thursday by Gheorghe Piperea, an ECR member from Romania’s AUR party, according to documents seen by Euractiv.

The motion, signed by a total of 74 MEPs, could lead to a plenary vote on bringing down the Commission – though such a vote would likely be unsuccessful.

Meloni has worked closely with von der Leyen in Brussels, and her ally Raffaele Fitto occupies one of the Commission’s most senior posts. But Meloni’s Polish allies have been a constant thorn in the side of the EU establishment.

George Simion, a failed Romanian presidential candidate, has pushed the initiative, which slams von der Leyen for lacking transparency, and cites the recent Pfizergate ruling from the EU’s top court.