NEWS: Pfizergate: Court Rules on Von der Leyens secret COVID Vaccine Deal Messages
2025 Jul 20, 2:28am 3,749 views 1 comment
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HANrongli
2025 Jul 20, 2:44am
Pfizergate: Commission broke transparency rules over von der Leyen texts, court rules
The European Commission wrongly dismissed a journalist’s request to access texts between the president and the Pfizer CEO, the court said.
(Photo by Pool/Insidefoto/Augusto Casasoli/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Nicoletta Ionta and Owen Morgan Euractiv May 14, 2025 09:41 3 min. read News
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An EU court has ruled that the European Commission violated transparency rules by failing to grant access to text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of pharma giant Pfizer.
In a long-awaited judgement in the so-called 'Pfizergate' scandal, the General Court of the EU in Luxembourg decided that the Commission "has not given a plausible explanation to justify" its dismissal of a journalist's request to access the texts.
The case stems from a 2023 complaint filed by The New York Times after the Commission refused to release text messages exchanged between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in 2021, while the Covid-19 pandemic raged across Europe.
The row over the messages – reportedly linked to negotiations over a €35 billion vaccine deal – has prompted accusations of secrecy and institutional opacity at the highest levels of the EU executive.
The ruling, which is likely to attract significant political reaction, reinforces growing concerns around von der Leyen’s highly centralised leadership style.
A spokeperson for The New York Times said the decision "is a victory for transparency and accountability in the European Union, and it sends a powerful message that ephemeral communications are not beyond the reach of public scrutiny."
"The court recognized the European Commission's mishandling of this request and made clear that officials have an obligation to retain and produce relevant records, including text messages," the spokeperson continued.
"Credible explanations" found wanting
In a press statement, the court said that The New York Times had "succeeded in rebutting the presumption" that the texts themselves were neither archived nor kept, which the Commission had put forward to partially justify their refusal to hand over the texts.
The EU's regulation on access to documents, at the centre of the legal case, requires the Commission to offer "credible explanations enabling the public and the Court to understand why those documents cannot be found," the court continued.
The Commission also failed to plausibly prove that the texts "did not contain important information" – such as that pertaining to negotiations over lucrative vaccine contracts. If they did contain "important information", the Commission would be obliged to keep the texts, register them as documents, and then hand them over on request.
The Commission, in a statement acknowleding the judgement, said that it "should have provided a more detailed explanation in its decision that it does not hold documents of the requested type."
"Transparency has always been of paramount importance for the Commission and President von der Leyen," it continued. "We will continue to strictly abide by the solid legal framework in place to enforce our obligations."
The European Commission may appeal to the EU's top court, the Court of Justice.
This developing story has been updated.
(aw/om)
Languages: Français | Deutsch | Spanish Pfizergate：委员会违反了von der Leyen文本，法院规则的透明度规则
法院说，欧洲委员会错误地驳回了一名记者访问总统与辉瑞首席执行官之间的文字的请求。
（pool/insidefoto/Augusto Casasoli/Mondadori Portfolio通过Getty Images摄影）
Nicoletta Ionta和Owen Morgan Euractiv 2025年5月14日09:41 3分钟。 阅读新闻
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语言：français| 德意志| 西班牙语
欧盟法院裁定，欧洲委员会未能通过厄尔苏拉冯·德莱恩（Ursula von der Leyen）和制药巨头辉瑞（Phiant Pfizer）首席执行官之间的短信访问透明度规则。
在所谓的“ Pfizergate”丑闻中，期待已久的判决中，卢森堡的欧盟总法院决定，委员会“没有给出合理的解释，以证明其驳回了记者访问文本的要求。
该案源于纽约时报在委员会主席Ursula von der Leyen和Pfizer在2021年在委员会主席Ursula von der Leyen和辉瑞公司首席执行官Albert Bourla之间发表短信，而在整个欧洲爆发了Covid-19的大流行。
据报道，这些消息的行 - 与350亿欧元的疫苗交易有关的谈判有关 - 促使欧盟高管最高级别的保密和机构不透明指控。
该裁决可能会引起重大的政治反应，这加剧了人们对冯·莱恩（Von der Leyen）高度集中的领导风格的日益关注。
《纽约时报》的讲话者说，这一决定“是欧盟透明和问责制的胜利，它传达了一个有力的信息，即短暂的交流并不超出公众审查的范围。”
Spainperson继续说：“法院承认欧盟委员会对该请求的不当行为，并明确表示，官员有义务保留和制作相关记录，包括短信。”
发现的“可信解释”
法院在一份新闻声明中说，《纽约时报》“成功地驳斥了既不存档也没有保存的文本的推定”，委员会提出了部分证明他们拒绝移交文本的合理性。
法院继续说，欧盟对法律案件的中心访问文件的法规要求委员会提供“可靠的解释，使公众和法院了解为什么找不到这些文件”。
委员会还没有合理地证明文本“不包含重要信息”，例如与利润丰厚的疫苗合同谈判有关的文本。 如果它们确实包含“重要信息”，则委员会有义务保留文本，将其注册为文件，然后根据要求将其交给。
该委员会在承认该判决的一份声明中说，“应该在其决定不保留要求类型的文件的决定中提供了更详细的解释。”
它继续说：“透明度对于委员会和冯·德莱恩（Von der Leyen）总统一直至关重要。” “我们将继续严格遵守稳固的法律框架来执行我们的义务。”
欧盟委员会可以向欧盟最高法院，法院上诉。
这个发展的故事已更新。
（aw/om）
语言：français| 德意志| 西班牙语
Pfizergate: Commission broke transparency rules over von der Leyen texts, court rules
The European Commission wrongly dismissed a journalist’s request to access texts between the president and the Pfizer CEO, the court said.
(Photo by Pool/Insidefoto/Augusto Casasoli/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)
Nicoletta Ionta and Owen Morgan Euractiv May 14, 2025 09:41 3 min. read News
Share
Languages: Français | Deutsch | Spanish
An EU court has ruled that the European Commission violated transparency rules by failing to grant access to text messages between Ursula von der Leyen and the CEO of pharma giant Pfizer.
In a long-awaited judgement in the so-called 'Pfizergate' scandal, the General Court of the EU in Luxembourg decided that the Commission "has not given a plausible explanation to justify" its dismissal of a journalist's request to access the texts.
The case stems from a 2023 complaint filed by The New York Times after the Commission refused to release text messages exchanged between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in 2021, while the Covid-19 pandemic raged across Europe.
The row over the messages – reportedly linked to negotiations over a €35 billion vaccine deal – has prompted accusations of secrecy and institutional opacity at the highest levels of the EU executive.
The ruling, which is likely to attract significant political reaction, reinforces growing concerns around von der Leyen’s highly centralised leadership style.
A spokeperson for The New York Times said the decision "is a victory for transparency and accountability in the European Union, and it sends a powerful message that ephemeral communications are not beyond the reach of public scrutiny."
"The court recognized the European Commission's mishandling of this request and made clear that officials have an obligation to retain and produce relevant records, including text messages," the spokeperson continued.
"Credible explanations" found wanting
In a press statement, the court said that The New York Times had "succeeded in rebutting the presumption" that the texts themselves were neither archived nor kept, which the Commission had put forward to partially justify their refusal to hand over the texts.
The EU's regulation on access to documents, at the centre of the legal case, requires the Commission to offer "credible explanations enabling the public and the Court to understand why those documents cannot be found," the court continued.
The Commission also failed to plausibly prove that the texts "did not contain important information" – such as that pertaining to negotiations over lucrative vaccine contracts. If they did contain "important information", the Commission would be obliged to keep the texts, register them as documents, and then hand them over on request.
The Commission, in a statement acknowleding the judgement, said that it "should have provided a more detailed explanation in its decision that it does not hold documents of the requested type."
"Transparency has always been of paramount importance for the Commission and President von der Leyen," it continued. "We will continue to strictly abide by the solid legal framework in place to enforce our obligations."
The European Commission may appeal to the EU's top court, the Court of Justice.
This developing story has been updated.
(aw/om)
Languages: Français | Deutsch | Spanish Pfizergate：委员会违反了von der Leyen文本，法院规则的透明度规则
法院说，欧洲委员会错误地驳回了一名记者访问总统与辉瑞首席执行官之间的文字的请求。
（pool/insidefoto/Augusto Casasoli/Mondadori Portfolio通过Getty Images摄影）
Nicoletta Ionta和Owen Morgan Euractiv 2025年5月14日09:41 3分钟。 阅读新闻
打印
分享
语言：français| 德意志| 西班牙语
欧盟法院裁定，欧洲委员会未能通过厄尔苏拉冯·德莱恩（Ursula von der Leyen）和制药巨头辉瑞（Phiant Pfizer）首席执行官之间的短信访问透明度规则。
在所谓的“ Pfizergate”丑闻中，期待已久的判决中，卢森堡的欧盟总法院决定，委员会“没有给出合理的解释，以证明其驳回了记者访问文本的要求。
该案源于纽约时报在委员会主席Ursula von der Leyen和Pfizer在2021年在委员会主席Ursula von der Leyen和辉瑞公司首席执行官Albert Bourla之间发表短信，而在整个欧洲爆发了Covid-19的大流行。
据报道，这些消息的行 - 与350亿欧元的疫苗交易有关的谈判有关 - 促使欧盟高管最高级别的保密和机构不透明指控。
该裁决可能会引起重大的政治反应，这加剧了人们对冯·莱恩（Von der Leyen）高度集中的领导风格的日益关注。
《纽约时报》的讲话者说，这一决定“是欧盟透明和问责制的胜利，它传达了一个有力的信息，即短暂的交流并不超出公众审查的范围。”
Spainperson继续说：“法院承认欧盟委员会对该请求的不当行为，并明确表示，官员有义务保留和制作相关记录，包括短信。”
发现的“可信解释”
法院在一份新闻声明中说，《纽约时报》“成功地驳斥了既不存档也没有保存的文本的推定”，委员会提出了部分证明他们拒绝移交文本的合理性。
法院继续说，欧盟对法律案件的中心访问文件的法规要求委员会提供“可靠的解释，使公众和法院了解为什么找不到这些文件”。
委员会还没有合理地证明文本“不包含重要信息”，例如与利润丰厚的疫苗合同谈判有关的文本。 如果它们确实包含“重要信息”，则委员会有义务保留文本，将其注册为文件，然后根据要求将其交给。
该委员会在承认该判决的一份声明中说，“应该在其决定不保留要求类型的文件的决定中提供了更详细的解释。”
它继续说：“透明度对于委员会和冯·德莱恩（Von der Leyen）总统一直至关重要。” “我们将继续严格遵守稳固的法律框架来执行我们的义务。”
欧盟委员会可以向欧盟最高法院，法院上诉。
这个发展的故事已更新。
（aw/om）
语言：français| 德意志| 西班牙语
NEWS: Pfizergate: Court Rules on Von der Leyens secret COVID Vaccine Deal Messages
DR. WILLIAM MAKIS MD
JUL 20
∙
PREVIEW
https://open.substack.com/pub/makismd/p/news-898
新闻：辉瑞门（Pfizergate）：法院就冯德莱恩秘密新冠疫苗交易短信作出裁决
威廉·马基斯医学博士（Dr. William Makis MD）
7月20日
∙
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