Europe

EU Court Rebukes Commission Over Undisclosed Pfizer Vaccine Texts

Published MAY 14 2025

Story

Above: EU Commission Pres. Ursula von der Leyen and Norwegian Prime Minister (Unseen) address the media in the Berlaymont in Brussels, Belgium, on April 7, 2025. Image credit: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

The European Union's General Court ruled on Wednesday that the European Commission violated transparency rules by failing to grant access to text messages between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla regarding COVID-19 vaccine procurement.
The Associated Press
Politico
Breitbart
The case originated from a 2023 complaint filed by The New York Times after the Commission refused to release text messages exchanged between von der Leyen and Bourla in 2021, which were reportedly linked to negotiations over a €35 billion vaccine deal.
EuroNews
Unherd
The Court determined that the Commission failed to provide credible explanations for why the messages couldn't be found, noting that officials hadn't detailed their search efforts or clarified whether the texts were deliberately deleted or lost through automatic processes.
RTE.ie
European Conservative
The messages were first revealed during Bourla's interview with The New York Times in 2021, where he described developing a trusting relationship with von der Leyen during negotiations for 1.9 billion doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine.
The Associated Press
France 24
Unherd
The Commission maintained that text messages don't necessarily constitute documents of interest that should be saved or made public, arguing that the exchanges might have only contained logistical details rather than substantive information.
The Associated Press
The New York Times
Daily Wrap
The ruling requires the Commission to either appeal within two months and ten days, provide a new detailed explanation for withholding the messages, or release the requested communications.
Euractiv
Hungarian Conservative

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The Commission's handling of vaccine procurement demonstrated swift and effective leadership during an unprecedented crisis, securing billions of desperately needed vaccine doses for EU citizens. The text messages were merely informal communications about scheduling and logistics, not substantive negotiations, and therefore didn't warrant archival under existing document retention policies.

Eunews

Table.Media

Narrative B

This case exemplifies a concerning pattern of opacity and centralized decision-making at the highest levels of EU governance. The Commission's refusal to disclose communications about a €35 billion public contract raises serious questions about accountability and transparency in crucial policy decisions affecting millions of Europeans.

Europa

Euractiv

Unherd