Particle.news

EU Tribunal Rules Commission Wrongfully Withheld Vaccine SMS

The court annulled the European Commission's refusal to disclose messages between von der Leyen and Pfizer's CEO, citing inadequate justification.

Overview

  • The EU Tribunal ruled on May 14, 2025, that the European Commission unlawfully denied access to SMS exchanged during COVID-19 vaccine negotiations.
  • The court criticized the Commission for failing to provide plausible explanations for not archiving or retrieving the messages.
  • The SMS, exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen and Albert Bourla, remain undisclosed but pertain to multibillion-euro vaccine procurement contracts.
  • The Commission has acknowledged the ruling and may appeal to the European Court of Justice on legal grounds.
  • This decision follows years of scrutiny over transparency, including a 2022 EU Ombudsman report urging compliance with public-access rules.