EU Court Orders Release of Von der Leyen Texts

The European Union's top court ruled that the European Commission improperly withheld text messages between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, exchanged during negotiations for multi-billion euro Covid-19 vaccine contracts. The court specifically rejected the Commission's claims that the texts lacked substantive information and criticized its failure to clarify whether the messages were deleted or never recorded. The ruling followed journalistic requests for access after reports of von der Leyen’s personal role in the negotiations. Transparency advocates hailed the decision as a landmark victory, while critics said it exposed opaque, centralized decision-making at the EU’s highest levels. The Commission has announced it will study the ruling and consider its next steps. The Commission retains the right to appeal the decision.