The European Union’s General Court has overturned a decision by the European Commission to deny a request for access to text messages exchanged between the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla during 2021-2022 vaccine purchase negotiations.
The court highlighted the regulation aimed at ensuring the broadest possible public access to documents held by EU institutions.
New York Times journalist Matina Stevis provided evidence suggesting the existence of text message exchanges related to the Commission’s vaccine purchase from the American pharmaceutical giant.
The court stated that the Commission cannot merely claim it does not possess the requested documents but must offer credible explanations, which it failed to do.
Additionally, the Commission did not convincingly explain why the text messages were deemed not to contain "substantial information" that requires preservation.
The European Commission still has the option to appeal the ruling if it wishes to contest the decision.
In a statement, the European Commission suggested it would still not release the text messages, and will instead "provide a more detailed explanation."
