The EU’s general court has ruled against the European Commission regarding the publication of private text messages between president Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer’s CEO during Covid-19 vaccine negotiations.
The New York Times had sued for the disclosure of these messages, and the court determined the commission failed to provide a credible explanation for their unavailability, breaching the principle of good administration under EU law.
This ruling emphasizes the importance of transparency and accountability in the EU, requiring officials to retain relevant records, including ephemeral communications like text messages.
