European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen’s text messages, which were requested by a journalist in 2021, remain undisclosed despite Pfizer securing massive COVID-19 vaccine contracts with the EU that same year. The affair, nicknamed ‘Pfizergate,’ has drawn attention to the European Commission’s woeful record on transparency, especially given von der Leyen’s central role in Europe’s pandemic response efforts.
The controversy started when journalist Matina Stevis revealed von der Leyen’s private COVID-19 vaccine negotiations with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, prompting further scrutiny from fellow journalist Alexander Fanta. Despite Fanta filing a formal Freedom of Information request, the Commission claimed the text messages were not archived. This raised legal and ethical questions over whether regulators’ SMS communications fall under mandatory record-keeping requirements in Europe.
The court found the Commission’s explanations to be inconsistent and unsubstantiated, criticizing its failure to search adequately for the messages or clarify whether they had been deleted. The court also emphasized that once assumptions about the messages’ existence were challenged, the Commission was obliged to provide evidence regarding their status. The ruling casts a dark shadow over von der Leyen’s leadership, with the Commission now facing serious questions over its failure to operate transparently.
To learn more about Ursula von der Leyen’s secret text messages and the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer, see this article on our website.
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May 23, 2025European Commission Wrong to Prevent Release of Ursula Von Der Leyen’s Text Messages, Court Says
News
The European Commission was wrong to refuse to release text messages sent by Ursula von der Leyen to the head of Pfizer to secure COVID-19 vaccines, the EU’s top court has ruled.
[Source: bbc.co.uk]
[Image source: Wikimedia]
Comment
European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen’s text messages, which were requested by a journalist in 2021, remain undisclosed despite Pfizer securing massive COVID-19 vaccine contracts with the EU that same year. The affair, nicknamed ‘Pfizergate,’ has drawn attention to the European Commission’s woeful record on transparency, especially given von der Leyen’s central role in Europe’s pandemic response efforts.
The controversy started when journalist Matina Stevis revealed von der Leyen’s private COVID-19 vaccine negotiations with Pfizer Chairman and CEO Albert Bourla, prompting further scrutiny from fellow journalist Alexander Fanta. Despite Fanta filing a formal Freedom of Information request, the Commission claimed the text messages were not archived. This raised legal and ethical questions over whether regulators’ SMS communications fall under mandatory record-keeping requirements in Europe.
The court found the Commission’s explanations to be inconsistent and unsubstantiated, criticizing its failure to search adequately for the messages or clarify whether they had been deleted. The court also emphasized that once assumptions about the messages’ existence were challenged, the Commission was obliged to provide evidence regarding their status. The ruling casts a dark shadow over von der Leyen’s leadership, with the Commission now facing serious questions over its failure to operate transparently.
To learn more about Ursula von der Leyen’s secret text messages and the EU’s COVID-19 vaccine deal with Pfizer, see this article on our website.
Dr. Rath Health Foundation
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