European Court of Justice: von der Leyens Pfizer-SMS must be left out

The pandemic year like no other years in Europe. After the new Coronavirus began to spread at a rapid pace, many countries responded to close down. Current prohibitions, rebounded schools and shops and people who died in hundreds of thousands suddenly became the new normal.

But when it looked as dark came out pleasing news. New Covid vaccine had been researched in record speed.

Ursula von der Leyen, who was then the chairman of the European Commission for just a few months, drew on the leadership jersey and handled the negotiations to buy vaccines. She, who has a background as a doctor, pushed through that the EU would jointly buy doses so it was enough for all the Union residents. It would go faster and be cheaper than letting 27 member states enter into a chopping sex, she reasoned.

In April 2021, the US New York Times newspaper published an interview with the drug company Pfizer’s CEO Albert Bourla, who talked about his close contacts with the EU summit. In the interview, he described how they had contact by telephone and sms, which resulted in a huge agreement to buy close to two billion doses of covid vaccine.

The news was received with relief in a Europe hard hit by the pandemic.

But the unusual procurement also aroused journalists’ interest. The New York Times wanted to know what the agreement looked like and what was said in the negotiations. But when the newspaper requested the SMS, they received the noble from the European Commission, who claimed that the messages were not there.

The New York Times then responded by drawing the European Commission before the European Court of Justice, in what has come to be called Pfizergate. On Wednesday, the court concluded that it was wrong by the European Commission not to disclose the SMS.

« The Commission must (…) provide reasonable explanations that mean that the public and the tribunal can understand why one has not been able to find the documents, » Writes it in a press release.

The European Commission must now disclose the SMS that must have been sent between January 2021 and May 2022.

For the Urusla von der Leyen The judgment is at risk of becoming another headache, even if it traps the European Commission and not her personally. She is often criticized for her handling of issues related to transparency and openness, and is sometimes accused of wanting to prevent transparency. The judgment gives the critics water on its mill.

Both sides have the opportunity to appeal the judgment.

READ MORE: Ursula von der Leyen darkened sms to Pfizer – can be felled in court