The European Commission has confirmed that texts were exchanged between the Chairman of the Commission Ursula von Der Leyen and the CEOs of the Fizer, which were lost by journalists during the height of the Kovid -19 epidemic. The texts belonged to a multivion-euros vaccine deal between the Fizer and the European Union, questioning the transparency and accountability within the European Union.
What happened
A document sent recently the new York Times In the summer of 2021, the head of the Cabinet of Von Der Leyen received an exchanged messages, but eventually decided not to formally register them. The document stated that messages were considered logical and short -term, leading to conclusion that they did not require formal registration. It was also said that Von Der Leyen’s mobile phone was replaced several times, and the data of those messages was not transferred.
The texts were originally requested by journalists under the freedom of information laws, but they were not released at the time that promoted the dispute. In May, the European Union’s lower-level General Court ruled that the Commission made an error by not disclosing the texts, and the decision was made public this week. The European Commission confirmed that it would not appeal to the decision, allowing the issue of transparency to move forward.
Reactions and concerns
Loss of texts and lack of transparency has become an important point of dispute for transparency workers. Many have argued that the incident underlines the lack of accountability within the commission of von Der Leyen, especially it is related to important vaccine deals that affect millions of European Union citizens.
In response to the controversy, Von Der Leyen faced an no -confidence vote in the European Parliament in early July, which began by the Romanian MEP Gereghe Pipperia. However, he successfully defended himself, and the proposal was defeated.
what happens next
Since the European Commission will not compete with the General Court’s decision, there is a discussion about how the loss of these records can affect public trust in the decision -making processes of the European Union. While the case has created a debate for the vaccine rollout and against him, it also raises widespread questions about transparency in public institutions, especially during a global health crisis.
This story can be updated with more information as it becomes available.