In brief
The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the European Commission, seeking access to text messages exchanged between Ursula von der Leyen, the E.U.'s top official, and Pfizer's CEO, Albert Bourla, during the negotiation of a major Covid-19 vaccine contract. The case highlights crucial issues surrounding transparency and accountability in governmental processes.
The lawsuit, presented in the European Union's General Court in Luxembourg, revolves around whether these text messages should be classified as official documents under transparency laws. The New York Times argues that public access to such communications is vital for democratic oversight, particularly during public health negotiations.Bondine Kloostra, representing The Times, emphasized the importance of transparency, stating, “This case presents a very important issue: whether officials may evade public transparency by communicating via text messages rather than more traditional means.” The E.U. Commission has previously claimed it could not locate the requested messages, arguing that text communications are considered "ephemeral" and do not need to be formally documented.Representatives for the Commission countered that if significant text exchanges had occurred, they would have been documented, asserting that no negotiations took place via texting. The outcome of this case could establish important precedents about transparency practices within the European Union.
