Court rules European Commission chief Ursula violated transparency norms in vaccine contracts
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In a major legal blow to the European Commission and its chief Ursula von der Leyen, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Wednesday (Jul 17) that the European Union body didn't provide enough information to the public regarding its vaccine contracts with pharmaceutical companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some Europeanlawmakers had approached the court following a lack of transparency shown by the EU's executive arm in its dealings with vaccine makers.
"The Commission did not take sufficient account of all the relevant circumstances in order to weigh up correctly the interests at issue," the court ruled.
'Lack of transparency'
During the height of the pandemic, all EU nations mandated that theCommission acquire vaccines on behalf of all 27 member states. The commission subsequently gathered $2.95 billion and placed orders for a billion doses of the vaccines.
In 2021, when some lawmakers tried to access the full details of the agreements, but the commission cited confidentiality reasons and provided only partial access. The provided documents didn't reveal how much amount was paid to the vaccine makers.
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The court ruled Wednesday that the documents provided to EU lawmakers contained irregularities.
Texts between Ursula and Pfizer CEO
Meanwhile, a New York Times report set the cat among the pigeons when it claimed that von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla discussed vaccine contracts over text messages.
Also read:Giorgia Meloni slams EU centrists for excluding her from top job talks; rejects `pre-packaged` deal
Later, when journalists asked Ursula for access to those text messages, the commission refused, saying no record of such messages was kept.
Ursula von der Leyen's re-election bid
The ruling comes a day ahead of the vote at the European Parliament, at whichEuropean Commission Presidentvon der Leyen is seeking re-election.
It's not immediately clear how this ruling will affect her prospects. The commission can appeal this ruling within two months.
Back in June,von der Leyen won backing from a majority of the EU leaders. Now, in the second step of the two-part process, she will have to secure support from at least 361 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the 720-seat European Parliament.
(With inputs from agencies)